Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment - Asbestos Kills

Senin, 19 November 2012

Mesothelioma cancer is a disease that results from exposure to asbestos related substances. Asbestos usually consists of fibres that can enter the body through the mouth, or the skin, and, subsequently, enter the lungs, or blood stream.

Mesothelioma cancer has become more widely documented in the last 5-10 years, due to the fact that symptoms of asbestos cancer can take between 20 to 40 years to manifest. Mesothelioma cancer is hard to diagnose, as the symptoms do not tend to manifest themselves until the later stages of the disease. Symptoms of mesothelioma lung cancer include shortness of breath, chest pain, fever and other secondary illnesses such as pneumonia.

Asbestos cancer most often develops in men between the ages of 50 to 70 years who were exposed to high levels of asbestos in the workplace. Asbestos was mainly used in manufacturing industries such as automotive and ship building as well as in the construction industry. The use of asbestos was only recently banned in the 1990’s.

Mesthelioma lung cancer has been found to be the most common form of mesothelioma cancer and it develops in the lining of the lung (pleural). Mesothelioma cancer can also develop in the abdominal area (peritoneal) and around the heart (pericardial). There is a greater chance of malignancy in abdominal asbestos cancer. For a more detailed explanation of mesothelioma cancer, visit [http://www.lung-canceradvice.com]

Mesothelioma lung cancer can be detected through a CT scan which enables it to be sometimes diagnosed earlier than the other two types of mesothelioma cancer. The type of mesothelioma cancer treatment will depend on the stage at which the cancer was diagnosed, the age of the patient as well as personal preferences. The disease can be divided into four separate stages. The stage in the disease process that is reached will determine the method of mesothelioma cancer treatment. At the first stage when the tumour is confined to the lining of the lungs, surgeons may try to remove the entire tumour surgically. Once the tumour has invaded the surrounding body tissues in the later stages, it is not curable.

Conventionally, the more advanced stages of mesothelioma cancer are treated with either radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy utilizes high-energy x-rays to destroy cancerous cells and shrink tumours Chemotherapy, on the other hand, uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. The aim of these mesothelioma cancer treatments is to prolong the patient’s life as the disease cannot be cured in the more advanced stages.

In addition to these conventional mesothelioma cancer treatments, there are also various experimental treatments currently under investigation which offer new hope.

Immunotherapy: This form of biological therapy for mesothelioma cancer treatment uses the patient’s own immune system to attack the cancerous cells. Clinical studies have shown that the immune system is able to distinguish healthy cells from cancer cells, and can therefore be used to destroy those cancerous cells.

Gene Therapy: This form of mesothelioma cancer treatment is very much still in the developmental stages. The process involves injecting a specific gene straight into the tumour. This gene renders the cancer cells sensitive to the antiviral drug glanciclovir which under normal circumstances is not effective against these cells. The glanciclovir is then able to destroy all the cancer cells without harming the healthy tissue cells.

Drug Therapy: The drug Alimta is the only chemotherapy drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)for the treatment of patients with malignant mesothelioma lung cancer . This new and exciting drug has been demonstrated in clinical trials to reduce symptoms and increase the life expectancy of patients.

Photodynamic Therapy: Photodynamic therapy involves the use of light to destroy cancer cells. The patient first is first administered a photosensitizing drug that only collects in cancerous cells. Fibre-optic cables are then inserted in the body in order to focus light of a certain frequency on the tumour. The light stimulates the photosensitizing drug to produce toxic oxygen molecules that destroy the cancerous cells.

These experimental mesothelioma cancer treatments, although still in the developmental stages, offer cancer victims the prospect of a better and longer life. With the likelihood of an increase in the number of people diagnosed with asbestos cancer, further research into other forms of mesothelioma cancer treatment is vital.

Prostate Cancer Treatment With Radiation Therapy

There are several prostate cancer treatment options that are available. Radiation therapy, more commonly known as radiotherapy, is the most often prescribed prostate cancer treatment. Radiation therapy kills off your cancerous cells with high energy radiation beams. Although the technology now is already far more advanced as compared to many years ago; still, some normal body cells are inevitably get killed during the treatment process. A loss in your normal cells result in some of the side effects that you experience.

Radiation therapy for prostate cancer treatment can be used for all stages of the disease. If you are diagnosed as having early stage prostate cancer then radiation therapy can be used on its own. In this case, there is no need for surgery. Advanced stage cancers may require surgery followed by a course of radiation therapy for relief of pain associated with the disease.

There are two main ways in which radiation can be used as a prostate cancer treatment; internally and externally. The type of radiotherapy that will be recommended to you will be based on your circumstances and the extent of your cancer. You should get more information about the treatments and how they work from your oncologist.

The prostate cancer treatment known as brachytherapy, or internal radiation, works by implanting microbeads of radioactive material directly into your cancerous tissue. These microbeads kill the cancerous cells in the immediate vicinity. A very small number of normal body cells also become damaged in the process. You may also suffer from minor side effects such as urinary leakage and/or penile dysfunction.

Having internal radiotherapy as a prostate cancer treatment will mean you have to undergo keyhole surgery. This is a one-time procedure and involves a short stay in hospital. It is relatively expensive, however. Thus, your doctor will usually recommend this option where cure is still highly possible; in the instance where the cancerous cells have not spread to other parts of your body.

External radiation is the more commonly prescribed prostate cancer treatment. You may need to go to the hospital as often as five times per week. In this case the radiation beam penetrates through the skin, muscle and fat before it reaches the cancerous tissue of the prostate. Many normal body cells can be damaged. Thus with this form of treatment you tend to experience more severe and varied side effects than with the previous option.

In the course of this prostate cancer treatment, you may lose some of your pubic hair permanently. You may feel sore and dry in the area being treated. You may also suffer from incontinence, urinary and bowel discomfort. There is also a chance of impotence as the tissues around the prostate gland are affected. Hopefully, medical advancements can be made one day so that fewer normal body cells get damaged in the process.

Radiation therapy can be an exhausting process to go through. During this period, you are advised to take plenty of rest and to set all your worries aside.

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options: Discussing Your Options With Your Oncologist

Being diagnosed with prostate cancer is by no means a death sentence as compared to previously. There are a number of prostate cancer treatment options available. You need to speak with your oncologist to find out which option works best for you.

Learning about your prostate cancer diagnosis may be difficult to accept initially. So you should get your oncologist to answer any questions you may have. He should be able to give you very helpful advice. You may consider bringing a family member with you for the consultation for extra support.

A good tip is to ask your oncologist if he has any leaflets or any book that you can read about the various prostate cancer treatments. As you consider over your prostate cancer treatment options over later, you may need to refer to the facts or what was discussed over during the conversation.

Also ask your oncologist to explain the different prostate cancer treatment options to you in layman's terms. Medical jargon can be difficult to understand and confusing to a mind that is under stress. So, the simpler the way things are explained to you, the better.

In general, there are about three major forms of prostate cancer treatment; surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Hormone therapy is also often used as a complementary therapy. A combination of the three main treatments can be used together or in conjunction with hormone therapy. The type of prostate cancer treatment that you receive will depend on how extensive and advanced your cancer is.

When the initial cancer spreads to the surrounding tissues and then to other sites in the body, the type of prostate cancer treatment used will become more palliative than curative i.e. the treatment will slow down the growth of the cancer and help control the side effects rather than actually curing the disease.

Factors such as your age, general health and what you want to achieve from the treatment will also be taken into consideration. If you are an elderly person, you may decide not to proceed with surgery due to the side effects. In this case, you may prefer not to take drastic measures except to slow down the growth and spread of the disease. Younger men however may prefer to get rid of the cancer completely and hence would prefer to choose surgery. Surgery may also be followed with radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancerous cells.

There are a lot of things to consider when you choose your form of prostate cancer treatment. As such, you should not rush through your decision. Make sure that you have full information before you make a decision.

What Is The Best Alternative Cancer Treatment?

NOTE: Before undergoing any type of treatment for a disease as serious as cancer, please consult your physician. This article is not meant to be taken as absolute medical advice. The information in this article is designed to be educational and informational only. Please consult a doctor/physician to discuss your treatment options further.

There are a surprising number of alternative cancer treatment options available these days. Each case of cancer is unique so it's extremely important to answer your doctor's questions so they can give you the best possible care for every type and stage of cancer from treatment of pre-cancerous conditions to Stage 4 cancer. Many alternative cancer treatments can also be used for cancer prevention.

An in-depth evaluation and subsequent laboratory tests by your doctor can indicate possible contributors to cancer and reveal baseline status. If there is exposure history, screening can be done to determine the presence of toxins in the body. Toxins such as heavy metals and pesticides can actually contribute to cancer growth. Testing for malignin can be done as well.

Many believe that the presence of malignin in the body is a marker for cancer. In this way, we can attempt to assess the effectiveness of cancer therapies through AMAS (anti-malignin antibody in serum) testing without exposing the patient to harmful radiation.

Nearly all alternative cancer treatments can be used in conjunction with standard chemotherapy and radiation or as stand alone cancer therapies. In addition to fighting cancer cells, these therapies often improve many other functions of the human body and can work to improve a patient's overall sense of wellness.

Another benefit to alternative cancer treatment is location. Every year, there are more and more doctors practicing alternative medicine. As a result, people can find treatment in places closer to home, with no need to travel to the US, Mexico, or Europe for treatment.

All About Artemisinin

Artemisinin is a chemical compound extracted from what is commonly known as the wormwood plant, Artemisia annua L. Wormwood extract contains a mechanism that selectively kills cancer cells while leaving normal cells intact. It does this by destroying cells that are abnormally high in iron and causing free radical destruction of the cell membranes. Normal cells don't store iron in such high concentrations. Cancer cells and parasites, however, do.

For centuries, Wormwood has been used as an effective treatment for malaria caused by parasites. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute's Developmental Therapeutic Program made the realization that artemisinin may also be effective not only for destroying parasites but also cancer cells, as they too store iron in high concentrations.

Using Artemisinin to Treat Cancer

In order for cancer cells to divide rapidly, they need to store iron. On the cell surface they have a transfer mechanism to deliver the needed iron from the blood and into the cancer cell. Cancer cells have an abnormal number of these receptors and the aggressiveness of the cancer tumour can be determined and by analysing the number of receptors it bears.

Artemisinin carries an endoperoxide moiety or an internal double-oxygen bridge, which forms free radicals when exposed to iron. These free radicals can destroy cancer cell membranes. Delivering artemisinin to the cancer cell results in cancer cell death.

The death of cancer cells do cause some unfortunate symptoms including nausea, chills, and fatigue.

Artemisinin can be used to treat leukemia, colon, lung, breast, and terminal cancers. It may also be used to treat the reduction of solid tumours, in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and in Babesia Lyme disease.

This type of treatment is typically delivered as daily IV infusions.

Cancer Treatment Plan To Get Effective Cancer Care

Cancer patients can choose any of the right options regarding their treatment for cancer such as where to receive the cancer care. Cancer treatment plan can be helpful for you while taking the right decisions for cancer therapy. Cancer diagnosis will take some time, but you need to start planning about your cancer treatment such as where to receive the cancer care and what type of therapy you need.

Planning for cancer treatment:

Cancer care plan will be helpful in many ways after you diagnosed, For example, this plan will give you a total view of information, which enables you to go through a discussion on all of your doubts with your doctor that include potential side effects that you need to expect due to the treatment and how those will be addressed.

Consider the type of your cancer:

Your cancer treatment plan should start with the type of cancer from which you are suffering, how natural it is, and usually recommended treatment for that. If the patient is suffering from a very common type of cancer, then probably it won't make so much difference that where you will receive the treatment.

For people who are diagnosed with breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer- There are many treatments available. These types of cancers and treatments for those are very common to get the best treatment, compare the quality of different providers and select the specialized person to treat your cancer.

Cost of the treatment:

This will also takes a major role while planning for treatment. Find out what will be covered by the insurance company. Do homework regarding the benefits of insurance, then discuss with your doctor about any financial restrictions that you have on your treatment.

Do research on your treatment choices:

To make a right decision, you need to keep in mind the kind of your cancer, its stage, and the treatment options that are available and also how likely those treatment options can work under this environment. Discuss with your doctor about books, patient education material, and websites to supplement your thoughts. Primary therapy is known as the treatment that you start with. Most people would receive surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of any of these as their therapy.

Analyze about the benefits and risks:

Compare both the benefits and risks of the several cancer treatments, then you can decide which treatment can fall within the goals of you. You need to consider some aspects for each treatment, which include:

Side effects: Every treatment has some side effects. Spend some time to review about the side effects, and then you can take right decision. Apart from these you need to consider your general health, and how treatment affects the life.

Eye Cancer Treatment - Is There A Cure For Eye Cancer?

Eye cancer treatment is an important gateway to proper and complete elimination of tumors or cancer cells that develop in eye region. Treatment is helpful to avoid further growth of cancer cells in eye region and also prevents other forms of cancerous or non-cancerous disorders related to eye or other adjacent organs. Thorough eye cancer diagnosis is very important to undergo apt form of treatment pattern and get maximum benefit from the same.

Importance and Types of Eye Cancer Treatment

Eye is an important organ of human body. Cancerous development in eyes can lead to partial or complete loss of vision in long-run and can also cause other forms of cancers in nearby areas. Eye cancer can be of primary or secondary form and has a high tendency to spread at a rapid pace. Also, the chances of elimination of tumors decrease with increase in cancer stages and intensity of therapy also increases with increase in severity of tumor-growth. It is easy to tackle tumors restricted to local areas but, complete elimination of tumors becomes difficult in higher stages and the chances of cancer recurrence increase considerably.

Cancer treatment is important to ensure proper cell development in eye region and get rid of abnormal cells in time. Abnormal cells that lead to cancerous growth divide and grow at a very high rate and also compel adjacent healthy cells to behave unnaturally and function inefficiently. Abnormal cell growth also affects functioning of tissues and causes shortage of generation and supply of necessary resources to normal cells in the area. Thus, presence of cancer cells affects overall health of eyes.

Primary cancer of eyes is easy to treat as compared to secondary one. Also, eye cancer causes and symptoms can be traced and monitored easily in primary type of the disorder. Major regions affected due to primary form of tumor-growth are iris, cornea, eye lens, retina, orbit, ciliary body, and optic nerves. Tumors formed in primary cancer of eye metastasize only in late stages. Secondary cancer of eye is more common as compared to primary one and the tumors form mostly in lungs or breasts before reaching eye region. Thus people suffering from breast or lung cancer have high chances of suffering from cancerous infection in eyes if tumors are not treated well.

Cancer cure is also important because cancerous growth in eyes can instigate cell abnormality in other regions like head and neck areas, blood cells, lymph nodes etc. Cancer treatments are of various types and one must consult a physician before opting for one.

Prime Eye Cancer Cure

Surgery is the most widely adopted treatment for cancer. It can be of various forms as enucleation of eye (removal of eye without removing eyelids and eye muscles), evisceration (removing all eye contents except sclera), iridectomy (removing infected portion of iris), choroidectomy (removing choroid later), iridocyclectomy (removing ciliary muscle and iris), and eye wall resection.

Laser treatment is also useful to treat cancer of eye. One can also be recommended chemotherapy (treating tumors by chemicals or by intake of medically recommended chemical drugs), radiotherapy (exposing tumors to strong radiations), cryosurgery (passing liquid nitrogen to kill cancerous tumors by freezing them) and transpupillary thermotherapy (killing tumors by heating them with use of laser beams).

Treatment can give maximum output if done in early stages. Efficiency and reliability of eye cancer cure decreases if taken in late stages and one may have to undergo same or different forms of treatment repeatedly to keep cancerous growth under control or avoid eye cancer recurrence in later period.

Alternative Cancer Treatments - Do They Really Work?

As a person who has seen many cancer patients, I constantly ask myself, can cancer be cured? How much time will the treatment take before you see results? How efficient are those treatments and how do they manage to use these medicines to heal many cancer patients. You might have the same questions in mind.

I have searched numerous alternative cancer treatments and healing techniques, and I am willing to share the little knowledge I have found from studying some articles and asking some cancer patients. This includes alternative cancer treatments and just how it has helped many cancer survivors.

Alternative cancer treatment is an alternative and complementary treatment for cancer that is not authorized or validated by the government agencies who are accountable for the regulation of therapeutic products. These treatments use natural procedures such as diet, exercise, herbs and manual procedures. The reason many government agencies responsible for therapeutic goods are against this type of treatment is merely because they believe that these aren't tested and backed with hard facts and evidences.

Many cancer treatment centers these days have various opinions in using alternative cancer treatments. A few of them believe that they must work based on science, meaning they'll be using the newest formula, chemo, and medicines proven to heal many cancer patients. Some believe the treatments should not merely depend on what has been tested to be effective but something which is applicable and effective to the body makeup of the patient.

But the question at the moment is can it help? Did the percentage of people who have been healed by alternative cancer treatments grow higher than the previous years? Let's see...

According to a web site about alternative cancer treatments, it is said that every person has a cancer cell within the body. However, it is easily wiped out because of one person's active and strong immune system. A healthy body enables you to avoid these cancer cells. Alternative cancer treatments gently kill the cancer cells leaving no unwanted effects. While doing so, they enhance the immune system which is very important to avoid and totally kill the cancer cells.

You will find over 500 natural treatments to kill cancer cells and these days many people rely on them. The increase in people resorting to alternative cancer treatments is simply because it has been proven statistically that only 2-3% of cancer patients really benefit from chemotherapy. Everyone knows the uncomfortable side effects of chemotherapy and more people are willing to risk undergoing alternative cancer treatments than subject themselves, and more importantly, their immune system to chemotherapy.

We have to bear in mind that our body has its unique and own method to heal by itself. And this will require time, an alternative treatment can eliminate the remaining cancer cells left over after chemotherapy.

Regardless of what treatment you imagine can heal you doesn't matter, be it alternative or traditional. Your healing takes place once your body is ready. This is not easy to conquer, but you'll soon overcome it as long as you envision you can.

Fertility Concerns After Breast Cancer Treatment

Looking at these statistics, it is clear that breast cancer treatment today has to deal with not only treatment of the cancer and survival of these young women but also quality of life which for these young women in their reproductive age include fertility issues.

Recent surveys indicate that the majority of breast cancer survivors who have no children at the time of diagnosis would like to have them in the future. Surveys also indicate that survivors who already have children would like to have more. Yet, many report that they did not receive adequate information about their future fertility and how to preserve it at the time of their cancer diagnosis and when they were making decisions about their treatment.

Before we can discuss how to preserve fertility in these breast cancer survivors, we need to learn about what effects breast cancer treatments have on fertility.

Chemotherapy drugs work by targeting rapidly dividing cells. These rapidly dividing cells not only include cancer cells but also normal cells such as those in the sperm, egg and/or hormone producing cells that are important in reproduction. Often, these chemotherapy drugs render a breast cancer patient infertile or leave her with decreased overall ovarian reserve (decreased egg that can reproduce).

Radiation used in breast cancer treatment also target rapidly dividing cells but is usually limited to tissues that surround the breast. This means that the radiation used to treat breast cancer usually does not affect the ovaries which are located in the pelvis. However, for those young women who receive radiation to these abdominal/pelvic region for other cancers can damage the uterus and ovaries.

Males who receive radiation for a cancer in these regions can suffer damage to their testicles causing infertility. Radiation to certain areas of brain can also result in infertility by affecting cells that regulate hormone production which is necessary for reproduction.

Surgery to remove the reproductive organs can obviously render a person infertile.

However, there are options in preserving fertility for these patients. The feasibility, safety and suitability of different types of fertility preservations option depend on the patient's age, type of cancer and treatment and whether or not the patient has a significant other.

Other factors that are important in preserving fertility also include the cost of the procedure, availability of the procedure and success rate or the procedure. Thus, you need to talk to your doctor about what suits you the best. This fertility preservation is highly person and needs to be individualized to ensure best result.

Since we are discussing breast cancer survivors and their fertility, we'll limit our discussion to those methods that are suitable for females.

Embryo freezing is a method in which mature eggs are collected from the patient and fertilized in vitro (egg and sperm are combined in a laboratory dish and allowed to fertilize). This requires a partner or donor sperm. This embryo is then frozen for future use. In order to allow harvesting of most viable eggs, the patient usually is given hormones to stimulate her ovaries to produce multiple eggs.

These eggs are then collected using a needle that is guided into the ovary by ultrasound or by laparoscopic surgery. Embryo freezing is one of the most successful techniques available and safer for patients with hormone sensitive breast cancers. Egg or oocyte freezing involves collection of mature eggs and freezing these them without fertilizing them. This may be good for women who do not have a partner or do not wish to use donor sperm at the time of freezing. Success rate of this procedure varies.

Ovarian tissue freezing involves surgical removal of the ovarian tissue, cutting it into small pieces and freezing them for later. This tissue, when the person is ready, is then transplanted back into the woman's body. This is experimental and success rate varies.

Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) analog treatment involves treatment the woman with GnRH analogs during chemotherapy which theoretically renders the woman's body to think that she is before puberty. This reduces damage to her reproductive tissue and help preserve fertility. This has not shown to be very promising.

So, what happens when one of these techniques are used to preserve fertility and the survivor is pregnant? Let's look at some data regarding possible risks to the fetus and children conceived this way.

Current research indicates that children of cancer survivors are not more likely to have birth defects of chromosome abnormalities, although data is limited. In addition, these children do not have higher rate of cancer development.

Many of above fertility-preserving techniques are fairly new. Therefore, there is not much available data. However, the data that is available show little evidence that there is increased risk of birth defects of developmental problems in these children. However, these survivors are at an increased risk of having multiple births (e.g. twins, triples...etc.).

There is also increased risk of having a premature baby, low birth weight, miscarriage and infant death even when only one fetus is conceived using these techniques. In addition, pregnancy may aggravate organ damage caused by cancer treatment. Some breast cancer treatments especially chest radiation and/or chemotherapy can damage the cardiovascular structures.

The demands on these structures during pregnancy can be significant, especially if they are not healthy due to damage suffered during your cancer treatment. Thus, all breast cancer survivors who become pregnant are at an increased risk for pregnancy related complications and must be cared for by a specialist who can monitor and treat any complications that may arise.

Most cancer survivors worry about whether pregnancy after breast cancer increases their chance of cancer coming back and/or decreased survival if this recurrence does occur. Data is limited and there is a lot of controversy regarding pregnancy in these breast cancer survivors. However, current studies indicate that their risk of recurrence is not increased and that their survival rate is not diminished with pregnancy. In addition, data suggests that these fertility preserving options do not decrease the success of cancer treatment.

However, keep in mind that the data is limited and whether or not you should or should not bear children after your breast cancer treatment needs to be decided after careful counseling by your doctor and fertility specialist as this decision may be impacted by the type of your cancer and the type of treatment you received.

The optimal timing of when to get pregnant after breast cancer treatment is not clear.

Most studies indicate waiting 2-5 years after treatment to make sure that your treatment has been successful and your chance of recurrence is low during pregnancy. Again, preparation is the key. Know your facts and your risks about getting pregnant. Don't put yourself and your baby at risk if pregnancy isn't right for you.

The Pros and Cons of Alternative Cancer Treatment

I am writing this to anyone out there who has like me, joined the cancer club. I currently have breast cancer. I am not however, doing conventional treatment. I'm not having chemo, radiation, nor have I had a mastectomy. I am using an alternative cancer treatment called Protocel.

I first found out about Protocel from my gynecologist. Shortly after my diagnosis, his office kept calling me asking, "Can you come in today? Can you come in tomorrow? Can you come in on Friday? When can you come in?" I thought, "Why does my gynecologist want to see me so bad?" I was quite busy setting up appointments with an oncologist and for my chemo treatment, so I didn't get back to him right away. Finally, I went in to see him. He told me to research Protocel on the internet and to consider alternative treatment for my cancer. I was so impressed by what I read online that I decided to forego conventional treatment and use Protocel instead.

Many times when I tell people what I'm doing. I tell them, "There really are non-toxic alternative cancer treatments that really do work! Really!" The internet is full testimonies of people who were sent home to die, or supposedly had incurable cancers like pancreatic cancer who used Protocel, or some other alternative treatment and were cured. Yes, I use the word CURED!

Lately, whenever I see some famous person who has cancer I want to contact them and tell them to look into alternative cancer treatments. Recently, I saw that Steve Jobs has pancreatic cancer. I actually Googled him to see if there was a way that I could email him, but I couldn't find anything. Maybe by an intervention from God he will read this article.

Anyway, I wanted to write about the success that I'm having so far. In May 2011, I had a PET scan. It showed that my numbers had gone down from the previous PET scan that I had in October 2010. The radiologist also said that my numbers are so low that he really is not too concerned about me. He also said, "Keep doing what you're doing." Last December 2010, I had an MRI. It showed that my lymph nodes had cleared up and were now cancer free. This is HUGE because cancer spreads through the lymph nodes. If all this, "alternative cancer treatment business," were nothing but hogwash, I would not be showing improvement with these very conventional tests.

The downside of doing alternative cancer treatment is that you're kind of out there on your own. Most doctor's are not familiar with alternative cancer treatment, and will only recommend conventional treatment. You need to become your own expert. Doing alternative cancer treatment means going against your doctor's advice, and that can be a scary thing. You have to gather up your courage, and be assertive and firm in your resolve. It is also important to remain respectful of your doctor, and keep a good relationship with them. I have found that most doctor's are very caring individual's, who truly have their patients best interest at heart. They just want you to survive!

If you or someone you love has been given a grave cancer diagnosis, at least look up alternative cancer treatment on the internet. BE INFORMED! There are so many different types out there that it might be hard to decide which one you want to use, but if you do decide to use a powerful alternative cancer treatment, you just might surprise everyone and live

What Are Natural Cancer Treatments?

Mainstream or conventional medicine has a specific number of treatments that are used to treat cancer. These treatments are chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Depending on the type of cancer, some or all of these treatments are used. It is important to note that these are the only methods that the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) allows physicians to use. Recommending a natural or alternative cancer treatment to a patient can put a physician at risk of losing his license, and may result in criminal prosecution and a prison sentence.

This refusal to allow natural and alternative treatments is the reason the death rate for cancer has not gone down over the years, even though billions of dollars have been spent in "the war on cancer." Cancer treatment is expected to bring in approximately 125 billion dollars in 2010, and the use of natural (and inexpensive) cancer treatments is a threat to the cancer industry. So if you want to use any alternative cancer treatments, you will be researching these treatments on your own, and maybe travelling to a clinic in a foreign country to get treatment.

What do we mean when we talk about natural cancer treatments? There are a large number of different protocols and remedies that target cancer in different ways. Many are based on dietary changes and adding specific supplements and substances to the diet. These dietary changes are made to help enhance the immune system of the patient, so that the immune system will be able to fight and kill the cancerous cells.

Cancerous cells exist in everyone at all times. Our cells are always dividing and making new replacement cells. If the cell that is dividing has had any type of DNA damage occur, then the new cell that forms will have that same damaged or mutated DNA. Our immune system is designed to find and kill these mutant (cancerous) cells. But if the immune system has also been weakened or damaged, it may not be able to kill all the mutant cells. These mutant cells will continue to divide and reproduce, and a cancer tumor will form.

So it makes sense that the best way to begin fighting cancer is by boosting and strengthening the immune system. And there are many ways to do this, from improving the quality of the food eaten daily to adding specific herbs and other substances that have been proven over time to target specific types of cancers.

Other effective natural cancer treatments involve using very specific therapies to help kill cancer cells. In most cases these therapies are administered in a clinic setting, usually in a foreign country like Mexico or Germany. There also are a few clinics in the U.S. that have been successful using both mainstream and alternative treatments.

You will find that there are a lot of effective natural cancer treatments. It is important to research and find the one or two treatments that will mesh with your lifestyle and habits, so that you will be able to stick to your program. And remember, you definitely can use conventional cancer treatments and alternative cancer treatments at the same time. The natural treatments are gentle and designed to help build your immune system, and they will not interact with conventional treatments.

Lung Cancer Treatment - Your Ways To Survive

Lung cancer treatment depends on the kind of cancer. To determine the kind of lung cancer the cell type needs to be identified. The two types of cancer in lungs are small cell and non-small cell and treatment protocol for these types of cell cancers differs entirely. About 90% sufferers are identified with epidermoid carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and oat cell carcinoma, which are the common types of lung cancers.

Only after diagnosing the type of cancer in the patient can treatment options be obtained. Once you have been detected or suspected for cancer in lungs, you will be subjected to different kind of tests to confirm the presence of lung cancer and also selected treatment protocols. X-ray, CT scans (computer assisted tomography), and MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) are the means for diagnosing this cancer.

Your doctor will provide you all the details of cancer treatment including the stage, extent and location of the lung cancer once you have been confirmed with lung cancer. In the early stages, the cancerous mass would be only confined to one area of the lung. In the advanced stages, the cancer may spread to other parts of the body through the blood stream or lymph nodes. You may discuss with your doctor your treatment plan, which can be performed by any one of the following methods:

Chemotherapy. Treatment with drug combinations to annihilate cancer cells.

Radiation therapy. Treatment by passing high-energy rays on the cancerous cells to kill cancer cells.

Surgery. Treatment by removing the part of the affected lung to eradicate the cancer.

Chemotherapy This treatment uses different drug combinations given intravenously or orally. These medicines enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body destroying the cancerous cells metastasized to other parts of the body. Lung cancer treatment requires anticancer drugs for the elimination of cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be performed alone as a primary treatment or as combination with surgery. Although chemotherapy kills the cancerous cells, it kills normal cells also, therefore minimizing the possible side effects needs to be taken by the physician. The occurrence of side effects depends upon the length of treatment and the amount of drugs you have taken. The common side effects of chemotherapy are nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, hair loss, or loss of appetite.

Radiation therapy The two major radiation therapies used as treatment to destroy cancer cells are external beam radiation and brachytherapy. When the health of the patient is too poor to withstand surgery then external beam radiation therapy is used. Brachytherapy is the radiation therapy used for treatment by relieving the blockage of large airways due to cancer.

Surgery Surgery may be preferred as a last resort for treatment. It might be required of you to spend two to three weeks in the hospital for surgical therapy of lung cancer. Under general anesthesia, a surgical incision is performed to the chest and the affected tissue is removed to destroy the cancer in lungs. The probable complications include wound infections, pneumonia, and excessive bleeding with surgical treatment for this cancer. For at least two to three months your activity should be limited due to the surgical incision in the ribs.

Of late, an invasive procedure called video-assisted thoracic surgery has been developed for a tumor smaller than 4 to 5 cm for lung cancer treatment.

Cancer Drug Shortages: A Reason To Discover Alternative Cancer Treatments

Yet another reason to discover alternative cancer treatments.

Early in 2011, there's an indication of shortages in some drugs in the North American pharmaceutical market. Hospitals and pharmacists are seeing an ever-increasing trend in the frequency of these shortages. Manufacturers offer several reasons for this including shortages in raw materials, manufacturing problems, tougher regulations in other countries, and unprofitability. That may well be, but let's examine another thought for a moment.

The basic law of supply and demand states that as supply decreases, demand increases. Typically, with an increase in demand, we also see an increase in costs because the market usually supports that. Or put another way, with a decrease in supply we see an increase in demand... and cost.

In recent years there have been a number of drug patents expire which has created an opportunity for more manufacturers, often from countries with lower manufacturing costs, to enter into the generic drug market. In effect, this has created an increase in supply, which has resulted in a decreased demand... and profitability. Good news for the consumer as the prices of generic drugs are usually cheaper. Basically, the more manufacturers there are the less they can charge for a product and the less profit they can make.

Conventional cancer treatment drugs are not cheap and they're highly profitable. So given that there has been an influx in cheaper generic drugs into the market can we expect to see a similar trend in conventional cancer treatment drugs? Frankly, I doubt it. Think about this for a moment.

The drug companies that manufacture products for cancer treatments related to chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, or in support of surgery are pretty well established in the North American and global markets. And they've got their markets fairly well protected in several countries, either by law and/or substantial penetration into the medical universities. Today's doctors only know what they're taught. They're taught to prescribe drugs for the symptoms. They're not taught to diagnose and treat cancer causes. Nor are they taught a whole lot about nutrition, particularly how it relates to alternative cancer treatments.

It's not illegal to treat people with alternative cancer treatments but you won't find any mainstream doctors doing that. They're taught how to treat cancer symptoms with drugs at the universities. The same universities that are funded by the large pharmaceutical companies for research. The same universities that are regulated in law by what they can teach about cancer treatments. The same universities that are regulated by the same government agencies that approve new drugs for cancer treatments. The same government agencies that are run by people with strong ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The same pharmaceutical companies that have strong lobbying capacity at the federal government level. The same government agencies that regulate the drugs that doctors are allowed to prescribe. Drugs that are manufactured by the same pharmaceutical companies that fund the research at the universities. You get the point. Cancer is a business. A really, really big business.

So I don't see a cheap influx of generic cancer drugs anytime soon. It's just not in the financial interests of the large pharmaceutical companies. And they have enough power to keep hold of their markets. So what does that mean to those of you who seek cancer treatments?

One possibility is that the large pharmaceutical companies will keep the prices high on their cancer treatment drugs. They can do that by maintaining control of their markets, much the same way they have for years. Or it's possible that some smart pharmaceutical company folks will figure out that they can ride the "drug shortage" wave and create artificial demand. Much in the same way that the OPEC nations cut back on the amount of oil they release into the world market to create a demand and drive the price of a barrel up, the pharmaceutical companies could do the same with their cancer drugs.

So if you start to see lots of media attention around drug shortages and rising prices, ask yourself if it's real or if it's just a marketing ploy. To my thinking, I'm not so sure I would want my health being controlled by large market forces that are profit driven. So for my own peace of mind, I am researching alternative cancer treatments for a couple of reasons: (1) to understand better what my options would be if I did get cancer; and (2) understand cancer prevention better. You should too...

Information About Cancer Treatment

Cancer is medically defined as a class of diseases where a single or a group of cells undergo uncontrolled growth in an abnormal way invading or destructing the other adjacent cells. These abnormal cells might also sometimes spread to other locations of the body through lymph or blood. Cancer treatment is one major achievement in the field of science that aims at increasing the life span of affected patients, controlling the spread of the disease to other locations of the body and to reduces its symptoms.

Though the existence of Cancer can be traced back to as early as 1600 BC, it has been one of the untreatable diseases until lately. Cancer is one of the many diseases in which huge amount of funds are invested for performing research and experiments for various treatment options. After many years of study and clinical trials, finally there are many methods currently that can help contain the spread of the disease and help affected patients lead a better life.

There are many standard and alternative options of Cancer treatments available due to continuous research and long efforts. The standard methods of treatment include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation methods. Along with the standard methods, there are any alternative methods of treatment which aim at providing a relaxation from the disease symptoms.

Surgery

Most of the types of cancer form a tumor except for few like leukemia. These tumors can be removed by means of surgery to eliminate the cancerous growth from the body. Sometimes in cases of extended damage done by the tumor, the whole organ is removed by means of surgery as a means of preventing further spread or growth. Normally breast cancer and prostrate cancer are treated by this method. This kind of treatment can be used effectively for tumors that do not metastasis or spread across the body. Cancerous growth that has already spread to other parts of the body cannot be contained by means of surgery. Normally a 'Staging' process is carried out prior to surgery to determine the spread levels of the disease to the other parts of the body. This helps decide the level to which surgery might be useful in treating the disease.

Chemotherapy

In some cases, drugs are administered to stop the spread or growth of the cancerous cell. These drugs are given orally or through intravenous methods to kill the abnormal cells and to keep the disease under control. This method of cancer treatment is known as Chemotherapy. The dosage and the frequency of the drug administration or the chemotherapy process is generally decided by the doctor depending on the patient's health condition and staging results. There are no fixed dosage levels for this process of treating cancer. Though effective, this method has an advantage of being a temporary solution. The drug that is administered does fight the disease and tries to recover the cells, but the effects of it are short-lived. The dosage and the frequency increases with time in this type of treatment method. It is also to be considered that Chemotherapy has its own side effects which might vary based on the patients' health.

Radiation Therapy

Like other types of cancer treatments, the Radiation therapy also aims at destructing the diseased cells and in preventing their spread or growth. In this method, high energy x-rays are used instead of drugs to destroy the abnormal cells. These x-rays damage the DNA of the diseased cells thus killing these cells. The method of radiation therapy is in general done at regular intervals so as to provide enough timelines for the other normal cells that also get damaged to recover well. As we saw the radiation therapy method does hurt other normal cells also along with the diseased ones. The damage that is created on the cancerous cells is more than that created in normal cells and hence the normal cells do not suffer destruction like the diseased cells and recover soon.

Hormone Therapy

In some cases, hormones that help in growth of the tumor are counter attacked by giving drugs that act to inhibit such hormonal actions. This method is followed in the hormonal therapy where hormones that help increase the disease effects and symptoms are inhibited by administration of anti-effect drugs. As an example, estrogen is known to promote growth of diseased cells in breast cancer and hence treatment for breast cancer through hormonal methods includes administration of anti-estrogen drugs to the patient.

Modern Methods

There are many new cancer treatment methods that have been recently uncovered by the medical field. Immunotherapy and Transplants are the most popular of all. Immunotherapy is based on the foundation that a strong immune system helps the body fight diseases. In this method, drugs that would help improve the body immunity are prescribed to help the body equip better to fight the disease. Transplants are also common methods of treatment which are normally used in cases of Bone Marrow transplant or stem cell transplant. Other popular but still under research techniques include the Proton therapy, Gene therapy and Biologic therapy.

Alternative Methods

Alternative or complementary methods of treatments are also available for cancer which is mostly targeted as a means of relief from side effects and pain rather than as a cure. Reiki and Acupuncture offer various methods of treatment that helps patients alleviate pain and other discomforts. The Gerson therapy and the Bovine cartilage are also often used as alternative methods of treatment of cancer.

Though there are many modern and standard treatment methods, the spread of the disease is a key factor in the cure possibility rate. Thus it is important that we equip ourselves with basic knowledge about the symptoms and the prevention techniques for cancer to get rid of it completely. Remember if detected early, cancer is not fatal and can be completely cured.

Apricot Seeds: Are Apricot Seeds a Natural Alternative Cancer Treatment?

My best friend and life partner, Colleen, is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000. Doctors used traditional cancer treatments on her, including radiation, multiple surgeries, and drug therapy, which lasted several years. She didn't enjoy any of this. In 2005 she was diagnosed terminal. This time, she decided to research more of her options. She landed on an alternative cancer treatment program which included a heavy focus on cancer nutrition. She is alive today because of this decision. She has devoted her life to helping others with their cancer treatment journey. My goal is to help Colleen help others. I truly do believe that cancer is preventable in most cases.

Cancer is on the increase and cancer survival rates have improved slightly, only because cancer symptoms are recognized and diagnosed sooner. And many people diagnosed or who have loved ones diagnosed with cancer are choosing to become more informed about alternatives to traditional cancer treatments. Many are realizing that treating cancer traditionally through the practice of burning with radiation, poisoning with chemotherapy, or removing with surgery may not be what is right for them. However, one thing that is common to both the traditional cancer treatment and alternative cancer treatment worlds is that a healthy diet is essential.

In the world of alternative cancer treatments, one of the best cancer fighting foods that stands out as having some of the strongest anti-cancer properties is the apricot seed, or apricot kernel as it is also called. The apricot seeds are actually the soft almond shaped, bitter tasting kernels from inside the pits. Apricot seeds contain something called amygdalin.

In 1952, a biochemist from San Francisco named Dr. Ernst Krebs, Jr. suggested that cancer was a metabolic reaction to a poor diet, and that a missing nutrient from the modern day human diet could be the key to cancer prevention and treatment. He believed that poor diets based on unnatural or processed food products were a primary cause behind compromised human immune systems. His research led to a compound called amygdalin that is found in over 1200 edible plants throughout nature. It is also commonly called vitamin B-17 and its extract is known as laetrile.

Amygdalin is found with the highest concentration and necessary enzymes in apricot seeds. A primitive tribe, the Hunzas in the mountains of Pakistan, were known to consume large amounts of apricot seeds and those who lived on their natural diets containing apricot seeds as well as several other organically grown foods had no recorded incidents of cancer and they lived long, healthy life spans. Many other groups with similar diets containing apricot seeds also have low or no cancer rates.

Apricot seeds are more available to consumers now than laetrile because in 1971 the US government's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned laetrile. Many believe that this ban was put in place because the laetrile was from a natural food source that couldn't be patented or controlled by the large pharmaceutical companies for profit like they do for cancer drugs and traditional cancer treatments. There has been much misinformation published about apricot seeds.

The most common belief promoted by the pharmaceutical companies and medical profession is that apricot seeds are poison. That is true to a point. Apricot seeds contain organic cyanide and benzaldyhide but then so do many other foods such as almonds, lima beans, soy, spinach and bamboo shoots to name a few. Many foods containing organic cyanide are safe because the cyanide remains bound and locked as part of another molecule and therefore cannot cause harm.

There is an enzyme called rhodanese which is found in normal healthy human cells but not in cancer cells. It basically catches any free cyanide molecules and renders them harmless by combining them with sulfur naturally. They are converted to a cyanate which is a neutral substance and easily passed through the urine with no harm to the normal cells.

But there is an enzyme called beta-glucosidase that is found only in cancer cells, and is considered the "unlocking enzyme" for amygdalin molecules. It releases both the benzaldyhide and the organic cyanide to work with the protective enzymes in healthy cells to attack and destroy cancer cells. The healthy non-cancerous cells are not destroyed in this natural process.

When considering what is right for you, the world of natural alternative cancer treatments offers a wide range of options. Apricot seeds are used by many people as part of their natural cancer treatment or cancer prevention plan. For more information about using apricot seeds as a natural alternative cancer treatment, please come visit my website.

Hyperthermia: An Alternative Cancer Treatment That Works

Although there are certainly a lot of conventional cancer therapies that can be helpful, one should not immediately discount the effectiveness of alternative cancer therapies such as hyperthermia. In some cases, patients turn to alternative therapies to avoid the uncomfortable and sometimes debilitating side effects of some traditional cancer treatments. However, in other cases patients are simply looking for complementary therapies which can assist and increase the effectiveness of traditional treatments. In both cases, researchers and doctors have shown that hyperthermia can be a very viable therapy option when fighting cancer.

Battling Common Alternative Therapy Misconceptions

When some people hear the words "alternative cancer therapies," they immediately think of unscientific practices, ineffective treatments, and sometimes downright medical quackery. Because of these common misconceptions, legitimate alternative cancer therapies are sometimes immediately dismissed by people. Unfortunately, this means that many people who could possibly be helped by cancer therapies such as hyperthermia miss out on the opportunity to discover how effective they can actually be. Sometimes, such as is the case with hyperthermia, a great deal of study, research and even scientific clinical trials have been devoted to testing and investigating the therapy. In the fight against cancer, one should never overlook a possible beneficial therapy just because it doesn't fit the standard treatment protocol. For those who are battling cancer, it's vital to search for every possible advantage that can be used to weaken and kill cancer cells. It's important to remember that even if a treatment doesn't use radiation or toxic chemicals, it can still be effective. In fact, sometimes it can be even more effective, especially if it is combined with other cancer treatments.

Using a Targeted Approach Against Cancer

One of the problems with many of the standard cancer treatments is that healthy body cells can be damaged right along with the cancerous ones. Although chemotherapy and radiation treatments are designed to minimize this damage as much as possible, there are still significant problems and side effects that can occur. However, when using a cancer therapy such as hyperthermia, there can be far fewer detrimental side effects. Hyperthermia is based on the fact that tumor cells, because they are abnormal and disorganized, simply cannot tolerate heat in the same fashion as normal cells. As a result, when hyperthermia treatments are administered, the cancerous cells are weakened or even killed, while the surrounding healthy cells remain undamaged.

Augmenting Traditional Cancer Treatments

Although hyperthermia has been shown to have the ability to weaken and kill cancer cells, studies have shown that these therapies can also be beneficial when combined with other treatments, such as radiation and chemotherapy. Because heat can increase the blood flow to an area, it can help to ensure that the tumor gets the full benefit of chemotherapy treatments. Radiation treatments can also be more effective when the cancer cells have been weakened by hyperthermia. Instead of relying on only one cancer treatment method, better results are often obtained by combining both traditional as well as alternative cancer therapies.

Find Out All About Breast Cancer Treatment

With the advent of technology, researchers and scientists have come up with wide varieties of life-saving breast cancer treatment instead of the 1 or 2 options available in the past. This brings new hope to breast cancer sufferers. Today, there are many treatment choices to choose from in fighting the cancerous cells. Because of the many choices, choosing a breast cancer treatment that suits you can be overwhelming. Listed below are the treatments that are available.

Diagnosed with Breast Cancer, Now What?

So your doctor has diagnosed you as having breast cancer. Now what? Hearing that you have cancer is devastating. Often times, one will think that it is the end of the life. However, this is not true. With the advance of technology these days, there is help for sufferers.

Together with your doctors, a breast cancer treatment plan will be put together based on the pathology report after a diagnosis. The kind of treatment plan recommended depends on your unique and specific situation. It usually consists of one or more specific treatments and is intended to kill or stop the cancerous cells from spreading further. It also reduces recurrence risk in the future. In putting together a breast cancer treatment plan, your overall medical condition will be taken into consideration. Treatments are evaluated periodically.

Surgery

Surgery, a breast cancer treatment, is usually the first option in the fight against it. Many factors, such as the cancer's stage and its personality, contribute to surgery decisions. It also depends on your acceptability. Based on these factors, your doctor will determine what kind of surgery is the most appropriate for you.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy, also known as radiation therapy is a highly effective and targeted breast cancer treatment to destroy cancerous cells found in the breast. There may still be traces of cancerous cells that are stuck after surgery. It reduces the recurrence risk by 70%. Although many people fear this treatment method, radiation therapy is easily tolerated. The side effects are limited to only the treated part. Radiation treatments are overseen by a specialized radiation oncologist, a radiation therapy cancer doctor.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a breast cancer treatment that uses medicine to destroy and weaken cancerous cells in the body. It destroys cells at the original cancer area and even those cells that may have spread to other body parts. Also known as chemo, it is a systemic therapy which combines 2 or more medicines. It goes through the bloodstream and affects the whole body.

Chemo is used to treat this disease in its early stage. It gets rid of any traces of cancerous cells that may have been left behind after surgery and reduces the cancer recurrence risk. It is also used to treat the cancer in its advanced stage. It damages or destroys the cancerous cells. In some cases, chemo is administered to shrink the tumor before surgery.

Hormonal Therapy

Medicine of hormonal therapy is a breast cancer treatment that treats this disease by lowering the hormone estrogen levels in the body. It also blocks the estrogen action of the cells. Hormonal therapy medicines come in several types. They are selective receptor estrogen modulators, aromatase inhibitors, and estrogen receptor down regulators.

Estrogen is produced by the ovaries in the body. It grows the hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers. Therefore, by blocking the estrogen's action or lowering the estrogen amount, it reduces the recurrence risk after surgery. Hormonal therapy medicines are also used to stunt the growth or shrink the cancers in advanced stage. However, it does not have any effect on hormone-receptor-negative cancers.

In some cases, the fallopian tubes and ovaries are removed surgically to treat hormone-receptor-positive disease. It is also viewed as a measure to prevent this disease for women at very high risks. Medication may also be used to shut down the ovaries temporarily. It is important to take note that hormonal therapy is different from hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy, also known as immune targeted therapy, is a breast cancer treatment that targets specific cancerous cells characteristics, such as protein allows the cancerous cells to thrive and grow in an abnormal or rapid way. Compared to chemo, it is generally less likely to harm healthy and normal healthy cells. Targeted therapies are antibodies that work exactly like the antibodies produced by our body's immune systems. The 3 targeted therapies that doctors use for breast cancer treatment are Avastin, Herceptin, and Tykerb.

Why Go For Alternative Cancer Treatments?

Due to the advancement of technology, science made it possible for doctors to come up with different methods on how to cure diseases. Among these illnesses include cancer, one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The problem today is the fact that the nature of the disease makes it difficult for experts to find a modern and scientific treatment for cancer that will completely eliminate the disease.

Basically, there are several options for treatment. The medical world has offered chemotherapy, radiation treatment and surgery. All these treatments for cancer do not promise full recovery. Truth be told, only 4% of cancer patients survive after availing one of these procedures. The rest do not survive and die because of the complications that come with the treatment. Aside from the risks and side effects, these popular treatments also cost a lot.

Cancer can now be cured using alternative treatments. There are still many people who are skeptical about having alternative treatments to cure it. They probably do not know much about it. Here are some reasons why alternative cancer treatments are ideal:

* Alternative treatments for cancer are all natural.

Unlike the methods offered today which makes use of medical grade chemicals and equipment, alternative treatments use materials that are from nature. The common combinations of these treatments are roots, seeds, oils and substances that are extracted without any intervention of instruments or artificial chemicals. Since these treatments are all natural, there are no severe side effects or complications to be afraid of.

* Alternative cancer treatments are popular all over the world.

When in doubt of the effectiveness of these treatments, it pays to know that these are used worldwide. Take a look at every part of the world and find out that there's an alternative cancer treatment that is being used even in their early days. In China, the people have concocted an anti-Cancer drink designed to control protease, the enzyme responsible for occurrence of cancer. The people in Europe also have a non-toxic version of chemotherapy.

* Alternative treatment is less expensive.

Compared to the medical approach, alternative treatments from cancer is definitely less expensive. Chemotherapy, radiation treatment and surgery require hospital fees, doctor's fees and even medicine expenses. A patient cannot get rid of these expenses as there is a need for professional assistance when delicate substances are administered and surgeries are performed.

* Alternative cancer treatment can be done at home.

As mentioned earlier, medical cancer treatments need doctors to actually perform the procedure. Along with this is the need for medical tools and equipments to aid. These are not necessary with alternative treatments. The treatment itself can be done right in the comforts of home. The procedures can be easily followed and can be done without professional supervision.

Alternative cancer treatment is easy, effective and inexpensive. Why go for treatments that are expensive and unsafe when there is a better alternative available? Alternative cancer treatments can help improve the condition of a patient without the side effects that common treatments have.

Alternative Cancer Treatment From All Over the World

Chemotherapy, radiation oncology and surgery are just some of the popular treatment for cancer. These treatments have things to consider. Expense and effectiveness are the common things to think about when getting a cancer treatment.

In terms of expense, there is definitely a large amount of money involved with medical treatment. The hospital fees, the professional fees and the medicine costs will definitely be worth a serious amount of money. At the same time, the effectiveness of these treatments is uncertain. Only 4% of patients who undergo medical treatments survive cancer-free. The rest are unfortunate enough to die of the complications that come once the treatments are administrated.

Luckily, there are other options aside from the expensive and not-so effective medical treatments. There are alternative cancer treatments that are used from different parts of the world. Here are some of these treatments:

· An anti-Cancer Drink from China

China is the home for many alternative medicines. Through the use of herbs and roots that possess medicinal properties, the Chinese were able to formulate a drink that can effectively control cancer. This works by finding the right herbs and substances that effectively prevent the occurrence of the enzymes that are responsible for cancer. These enzymes are called protease.

· A European Chemotherapy Alternative

Europe also has its own share of alternative cancer treatment. This treatment hails from Allopathic Medicine. It has the same strength and effect as that of the substances used in chemotherapy. The difference is that this alternative is non-toxic. The effectiveness of this alternative was proven after a careful study in 46 universities. Also, there are 150 scientists from 16 countries who have proven that the treatment actually works.

· An Anti-Cancer Diet Plan also from Europe

Also coming from Europe is the Anti-Cancer diet plan. A European chemist came up with the idea of creating this anti-cancer diet plan. The plan is formulated based on the foods needed to be consumed to sustain the body's needs. These type of foods will help fight occurrence of cancer cells. It's all natural and all simple. Once the diet is implemented, the patient can expect changes such as an improved immune system, a better metabolism and lower cholesterol count.

· Japan's Immune System Builder

Another alternative cancer treatment is from Japan. For the past 20 years, the Japanese people were able to successfully treat cancer patients using this method. They use an agent that will improve the condition of the immune system and will later on protect the patient against the possible complications and infections after other treatments.

· An Herbal Preparation from South America

South America also has contributed in alternative treatment for cancer. Making good use of their resources, South Americans were able to create an herbal preparation made up of the plants native to their deserts and rain forests. It can increase the levels of immunity as well as the tolerance from other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The selection of plants and roots were indeed effective in increasing natural killer cells, the body's natural cancer fighters found in the immune system.

Cancer Treatment Done Alternatively

One of the leading causes of death today is cancer. Basically, cancer is a disease that affects any part of the body. This occurs when a certain type of malignant cell forms in the body and later on exhibits an uncontrollable growth rate. The sudden surge in these cells eventually invades the body and can cause death in the later stages. Treatment for cancer has been researched for a long time now. Up to this day, not all types of cancer can be cured.

For a cancer patient, research is on top of the to-do list. Choosing which treatment to go to is a major decision. Popular cancer treatment methods are chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

With chemotherapy, a patient is subjected to substances that will get rid of the cells and control its spread. The primary objective of chemotherapy is to control and if possible, to eliminate the malignant cells. It will target the part of the cell that enables it to divide and thrive in other parts of the body.

The second option is the radiation treatment or sometimes called as the radiation oncology. This kind of treatment maximizes the abilities of an ionizing radiation. Just like chemotherapy, the objective of the radiation treatment is to control the growth of the malignant cells. Radiation oncology is also used when the objective is no longer focused on the cure but on the relief of the patient alone.

Finally, there is the surgery. Particularly called as the surgical oncology, this is the cancer treatment that is focused on removing the malignant cells by physically creating an incision and having it surgically removed.

There are just some of options to choose from. The problem with these treatments is that most of these are very expensive and promises no certainty. A patient can spend a lot of money but still end up on the same condition. In fact, the success rate for these treatments is a very slim 4%. The rest die because of the complications that these treatments come with.

Thankfully, there are alternative cancer treatments available today. These treatments are usually the type that does not involve a meticulous medical approach. The effectiveness of alternative treatments is proven even in the ancient times.

For example, there is an "anti-cancer drink" that is used in China. This special drink is the type that gets rid of proteases, the enzymes that are known to cause cancer. The anti-cancer drink does not cost much as compared to the medical treatments available. In fact, this healing tonic was proven to be really effective after a thorough study in the Harvard School of Public Health. This treatment can even be administered at home and can work on any stage of cancer.

Also, there is a treatment coming from Japan. This type of alternative cancer treatment aims to boost the immune system and get the white blood cells moving. When the white blood cells are stimulated, the immune system is likewise improved. Just like the treatment from China, it is safe, effective and inexpensive.

These alternative cancer treatments are just examples that cancer can be improved even without the medical procedures. Make progress and develop the condition without the expense and the complications with alternative treatments.

Considering Alternative Breast Cancer Treatment? 5 Important Facts!

Here are 5 reasons why you should definitely consider an alternative breast cancer treatment.

1. Despite all of the advancements in medical technology, the many cancer organizations around the world, the millions of dollars raised to fight the disease each year, the intense expensive treatments which include chemotherapy, radiation, drugs and surgery... despite all of these things, the number of women dying of breast cancer continues to rise. Cancer takes the lives of over 50,000 women each year, which is more deaths from this disease now than every before in history.

2. Many women have actually died from the actual treatments and many women have a recurrence within 3-10 years of treatment. And let's not forget about the extreme side effects that these treatments cause. There is never any guarantee that radiation, chemotherapy, drugs and surgery treatments will work. It is basically a hit or miss, you have just as much chance of surviving as you do of not surviving. Because of this, many women are opting for an alternative cancer treatment.

3. Cancer cells do not multiply rapidly, so you have time to try an alternative breast cancer treatment. Doctors will make it seem like you have to act really fast or you will die within a very short time. This is not at all true. The breast cancer cells did not just appear that week. You have been living with these cancer cells in your body for a long time. Traditional breast cancer treatments should always be a last option, and in most cases is not necessary.

4. Most patients feel just fine until they are diagnosed and start to undergo treatment. That is when they begin to get sick. This is because the toxic treatments are severely compromising their immune systems ability to keep the body strong. Also, because the immune system is so weakened, other medical problems begin to surface, or previous problems will start to intensify. This coupled with the emotional stress of dealing with having cancer is what causes the body to break down rapidly.

5. Changing your diet and lifestyle is essential if you want to cure using an alternative breast cancer treatment. Many women get a recurrence of cancer because they complete the treatments, and then continue to eat the same diet and live the same lifestyle that caused the cancer to appear in the first place. Even during the treatments, they still continue to put toxic foods and chemicals in their bodies. Some make slight diet alterations, (ie baked chicken instead of steak) but this still is not enough. In order to cure cancer naturally, one must be willing to embrace an entirely new lifestyle.

Breast Cancer Treatment Option Categories

Breast cancer treatment options are now more advanced. Constant research has definitely helped a lot in giving cancer patients another life to live. Some of the treatments today include chemotherapy, hormonal treatment (anti-estrogen), radiation, and surgery. These treatments are usually used together depending on the extent of the disease.

It can be very confusing on your part to choose the best treatment option to cure your cancer and it would be best if you have a little knowledge about some of these procedures.

The treatments are categorized as follows:

1. Regional or local treatment - this treatment is only limited to the area where the tumor was found. It also included treating local or adjacent lymphatics. 2. Alternative treatments - there is still no proof that alternative treatments can cure cancer but many people are choosing this option. This usually includes holistic therapies and the use of natural medicines. 3. Systematic treatments - these treatments are focused in preventing metastases or if it has already occurred, the treatments are aimed at eliminating the spread.

Over the years, surgery has been the most popular treatment for cancer. Doctors today can now remove only the infected tissues and preserve those which are still intact. Radical mastectomy left patients with deformed breasts but today's mastectomy is not as drastic and is very much different. Lumpectomy is a therapy which conserves the most part of the breast which is not infected. In this method, only the tumor is removed. Radiation treatments are given afterwards to eliminate and cleanse the remaining tissues. The radiation can prevent recurrence.

In radiation therapy, gamma rays are used to target the cancerous cells. This method is often used after surgery because its main function is to prevent recurrence of breast cancer.

Another method is hormone therapy. Certain cancers develop when there is presence of estrogen. This therapy uses anti-estrogen hormones to lower the estrogen levels and prevent cancer cells from developing. Tamoxifen is the most common anti-estrogen drug used in the therapy. There are also aromatase inhibitors which can be used in the therapy.

Chemotherapy is also another method to treat breast cancer. Cancer varies from one individual to another. This method is given to patients with high grade, great tumor size, and affected lymph nodes. However, chemo is usually given together with surgery, radiation, and surgery.

These are the breast cancer treatment options available to patients. These conventional treatments are often lengthy and expensive. Some treatments require several sessions and so it can be very tiring and stressful. When undergoing a series of treatments, the individual can also undergo psychological therapy so that they can have a better outlook in life.

Breast cancer patients often find it hard to cope with their situation because they are dealing with a dreadful disease. In fact, there have been many cases of deaths due to breast cancer.

To be able to choose the best breast cancer treatment options, you have to know the differences between these treatments and the risks involved. The treatments work effectively when the cancer is detected immediately but advanced stages can still be cured although the survival rate is only 20%. By thorough examination, breast cancer can be detected early; after that, the right treatment can now be employed to get rid of the cancer cells.

8 Reasons You Must Refuse Conventional Cancer Treatment Programs

People diagnosed with cancer disease are often devastated. Once the initial shock begins to fade, they may feel isolated and helpless as they make decisions about their treatment program.

How good is chemotherapy or other conventional treatment of cancer, and does it effect a permanent cure? This article takes a look at some critical questions you should ask before you opt for treatment of cancer such as chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.

1. Chemo Fatigue:

Treatment of chemotherapy results in fatigue which lasts several months in some patients.

2. Radiation Damage:

Breast cancer patients using radiation treatment have suffered from radiation injury to the skin.

3. Toxic Side-effects Of Standard Chemo:

Conventional treatment of cancer can have destructive side-effects. Treatment of chemotherapy, for instance, is known to produce toxicity in the patient. skin. Stage IV breast cancer patients are known to have refused chemotherapy for fear of its side-effects.

4. Pain & Disfigurement:

Often treatment of cancer results in pain and disfigurement, e.g., in the case of treatment of skin cancer.

5. Some Cancers Are Chemo-Resistant:

Some cancers are chemo-resistant. Also, official statistics show that people with stage 4 breast, prostate, colon and lung cancer do not live longer after receiving chemotherapy.

6. Hair-Loss:

Treatment of chemotherapy has been known to result in severe hair-loss.

7. Expensive:

It is universally known that most treatment of cancer is very expensive and beyond the capacity of all but the most wealthy.

8. Survival Rates & Effectiveness:

According to the findings of clinical trials at a China university, conventional chemotherapy for lung cancer was approximately 10% effective. Breast cancer surgery tends to increase the risk of relapse or death within three years.

So, if either you or someone near and dear to you is a cancer patient, consider the above limitations before you decide whether to go for conventional treatment or alternative treatment for cancer.

Today, the percentage of people dying from cancer is about the same as it was in 1950, even after being adjusted for age. Despite this fact, the medical profession takes much pride in the rigorous scientific research that underpins its approach to cancer treatment.

Unbelievable as it may seem, 18 months of research by a blue-ribbon research team shows there are over 350 existing natural and alternative cancer treatments. People have used these gentle and non-toxic treatments instead of or alongside conventional treatment, or after conventional treatment has failed. What's more, thousands of people are using them RIGHT NOW and beating their cancer!

Alternative Versus Traditional Cancer Treatments

The reason alternative cancer treatments are not more widely known has little to do with their alleged therapeutic ineffectiveness and far more to do with political control and the therapy marketplace.

Many of the treatments are on the "unproven methods of cancer management" list maintained by the American Cancer Society which is, effectively, a "blacklist".

Medical doctors will know little if anything at all about alternative cancer treatments for a number of reasons.

Medical schools don't teach alternative treatments and medical journals rarely contain articles about alternative treatments. Medical journals are published for the allopathic establishment, and they are mostly financed by advertisements from pharmaceutical companies. Doctors receive a lot of negative information about alternative treatments from the American Medical Association (AMA) and the pharmaceutical industry.

Internet "Quackwatches" and so forth decry alternative therapies even when there is contradictory evidence to their effectiveness plus their state medical boards may fine them heavily, suspend their license to practice or even revoke it.

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other Government cancer bodies will not investigate or promote alternative treatments. If your doctor prescribes treatments that are not FDA approved, he or she can be sued or lose their license. A medical doctor can only prescribe treatments that are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved. Their state medical boards may fine them heavily, suspend their license to practice or even revoke it.

The federal government can close them down and confiscate their property and they may lose their right to see patients in hospitals not to mention other doctors/peers openly ridicule and criticize them. It is no wonder your doctor will not know or tell you about alternative cancer treatments, because they could literally lose everything they have and worked for their whole lives.

There are many alternative treatments for cancer that will not provide Big Pharma a single penny of revenue, much less profits. This means these same treatments will not provide the media with a single penny of revenue. Guess which treatments the media pushes?

There is a war going on in medicine today; a war between orthodox medicine and alternative medicine. The war is being fought with money and information. The war is to control what you know, and don't know, about cancer treatments. When a new discovery is made, it comes down to the profitablity. If there is no profit, the treatment is buried.

Find a natural substance that cures something, bury this fact, then fabricate, synthesize, and mutate the key natural substance, then patent the mutation, and make huge profits.

That is why there is "no scientific evidence" for alternative treatments, no one is looking, because they cannot be patented and thus are not profitable enough. The reason there is no official "scientific evidence" for alternative cancer treatments and cancer prevention treatments is that they are not highly profitable to Big Pharma. It is impossible, by law, for a substance to be considered to have "scientific evidence" unless Big Pharma submits it to the FDA, and they will only submit things that are very, very profitable to them.

To the cancer establishment, a cancer patient is a profit center. The actual clinical and scientific evidence does not support the claims of the cancer industry. Conventional cancer treatments are in place as the law of the land because they pay, not heal, the best. Decades of the politics-of-cancer-as-usual have kept you from knowing this, and will continue to do so unless we wake up to their reality.

Conventional and Unconventional Cancer Treatments - Part One

To be diagnosed with cancer is a traumatic experience in life. Out of desperation, a cancer patient often immediately turns to different cancer treatment options. There is an array of treatment options available, both conventional and unconventional, that it may be stressful for a cancer patient to make a wise choice.

Conventional cancer treatments generally include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

Cancer surgery is an invasive procedure involving the removal of a cancerous tumor. Surgery is generally recommended if the cancer is operable, if it is in its early stage (there are four stages of cancer: the first stage being the early development stage, and the fourth stage indicative of advanced cancer), or if the tumor is localized, that is, without spreading to other parts of the body. The problem is that it may sometimes be difficult to determine the exact stage of cancer development.

All surgery is invasive, and all cancer surgery is traumatic - causing cancer stress. Cancer surgery reduces the body's resistance to cancer, and therefore predisposing the patient to recurrence of the disease. In addition, surgical biopsy may actually contribute to the spread of cancer, according to some studies.

Chemotherapy involves the application of chemicals not only to shrink the cancer but also to wipe out any cancerous cell that may remain hidden in the body after all visible cancer has been removed during the surgery.

The problem with chemotherapy is that these chemicals are extremely toxic not only to cancerous cells but also to nearby healthy cells and tissues. These toxic chemicals suppress bone marrow, which may lead to low immunity to infections due to reduction in white blood cell production. Infection could be a major cause of disease in patients who are already weak in immunity. Other lethal side effects of chemotherapy include damage to muscles of the heart, loss of fertility, and risk of developing a second cancer. In addition, loss of appetite, diarrhea, fatigue and nausea are some of the other unpleasant side effects as well.

Radiation therapy is the use of high-intensity X-rays to destroy cancerous cells. Essentially, chemotherapy therapy damages cells by destroying the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide. Radiation is much more harmful to cancerous cells than it is to normal cells. While both healthy and cancerous cells are damaged by radiation, the goal of radiation treatment is to destroy as few normal, healthy cells as possible during the radiation process.

In mainstream treatments, more than half of the patients receive some type of radiation therapy to kill cancerous cells. Radiation therapy may be used before surgery to shrink a cancerous tumor, during surgery to direct large doses of radiation at a tumor, or after surgery to inhibit the growth of any remaining cancerous cells. Radiation therapy may also be used with chemotherapy not only to destroy cancerous cells, but also to shrink tumors in order to decrease the pressure, pain or other symptoms they may have caused.

Sores or ulcers in the mouth, throat, or intestines may develop after radiation therapy, causing difficulties in eating, thereby affecting the nutrition of patients. In addition, patients who have undergone radiation therapy may have a higher risk of developing leukemia.

Remember, cancer is a multi-billion dollar industry, involving pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession. This alone explains why Western medicine does not want any focus on unconventional cancer treatments. As a matter of fact, most Western doctors know very little about alternative cancer treatments because these unconventional treatments seldom find their way into prestigious medical journals. Some states even have enacted laws to prohibit unorthodox cancer treatments. Understandably, there are many unethical cancer quacks exploiting and preying on the fears of many cancer patients. However, some unconventional treatments are effective in combating and controlling the disease.

Lung Cancer Treatment Explored

Lung cancer currently ranks as the leading cause of cancer related death in men and women. Although continuing to decline in men, incidence rates remain stable in women, following an increase throughout the 1990's. Trends in lung cancer related deaths, are largely attributed to trends in smoking over the past several decades. In 2008, the American Cancer Society estimates 215,020 new cases will be diagnosed and 161,870 deaths due to lung cancer will occur in the United States alone...

Traditional treatment for lung cancer are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapies, ans photodtnamic therapy.

Your treatment will depend on what kind of lung cancer you have, and what stage your cancer is at (how serious it is).

In the case of surgery... there are many kinds of surgery for lung cancer, such as pneumonectomy (where one entire lung is removed), lobectomy (where a section "lobe" of the lung is removed), a segmentectomy / wedge resection (where part of a lobe is removed), laser surgery ( where a high-energy beam of light destroys the cancer cells in a tumor).

In the case of radiation therapy... this therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells. The radiation can be delivered by a machine that directs the high-energy rays towards your cancer, or by a small radioactive pellet that gets implanted in or near the tumor.

In the case of chemotherapy... means taking anti-cancer drugs, either by swallowing them or by injection. One or more chemotherapy drugs may be administered through a vein in your arm (intravenously) or taken orally. A combination of drugs usually is given in a series of treatments over a period of weeks or months, with breaks in between so that your body can recover.

In the case of targeted drug therapy... these are newer cancer treatments that work by targeting specific abnormalities in cancer cells. Targeted therapy options for treating lung cancer include...

Bevacizumab (Avastin), which stops a tumor from creating a new blood supply. Blood vessels that connect to tumors can supply oxygen and nutrients to the tumor, allowing it to grow. Bevacizumab is usually used in combination with chemotherapy and is approved for advanced and recurrent non-small cell lung cancer. Bevacizumab carries a risk of severe bleeding.

Erlotinib (Tarceva), which blocks chemicals that signal the cancer cells to grow and divide. Erlotinib is approved for people with advanced and recurrent non-small cell lung cancer that haven't been helped by chemotherapy. Erlotinib side effects include a skin rash and diarrhea.

Doctors are getting better at diagnosing and treating lung cancer, which means people with lung cancer have a better chance of recovering and living longer. Still, lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. It's important for people with lung cancer to know what to expect and to plan for the future. It's also important to remember that not all lung cancers are the same, and that the treatment or the prognosis for one patient with lung cancer may be very different than the next person with lung cancer.

Some people choose to use alternative therapies as lung cancer treatment instead of conventional treatments or medicine, because when one begins to understand why cells have become cancerous in the first place, it makes sense to try and reverse the process.

For instance, we all know or should know that a weakened immune system leads to cancer... while a strong immune system seeks out and destroys cancer cells. For most of your life, the immune system has successfully dealt with cancer cells, killing them off as they developed. That's its job. For cancer to have developed in you, your immune system must have become worn out, ineffective and unable to deal with the cancer cells.

Thus it is vital in your battle against cancer to strengthen the immune system. Especially if you are getting medical treatments that wipe out the immune system, and make the body more acidic to boot. Many natural supplements and a proper diet supports the immune system. The other concern is to make sure you take enough. Lung cancer is not something to pussyfoot around with.

Breast Cancer Treatment Choices

Breast cancer can be treated with a mastectomy or breast preservation surgery, lumpectomy, followed by radiation and sometimes chemotherapy. These are the best ways to prevent recurrence of cancer. The most common place for cancer to come back is in the same area where it was found the first time.

The determination of which treatment is best for an individual is based on the pathology of the disease. The initial biopsy, which is done when the cancer is first suspected, will tell what type of cancer is present and whether it is hormone receptive. The knowledge of hormone receptors, or not, found will be part of the decision making information for an individual's treatment. Some types of tumors are stimulated by normal hormones found in a woman's body, such as progesterone, estrogen, and HER-2. A tumor may show a positive response to one or more of these hormones. By knowing this information, a plan of treatment can be offered that will improve a woman's chances of cancer free survival.

The pathology from the surgery, done to remove the cancer tumor, will tell if the entire tumor was removed and if cancer was found in the lymph nodes. During surgery the surgeon can see the cancer tumor, but not all of the cancer cells can be visualized. So the tumor is sent to a pathologist who puts the tumor and the surrounding tissue that was removed by the surgeon under a microscope. This way cancer cells that might be outside the main tumor can be seen. The lymph nodes that were removed in surgery can also be looked at under a microscope and it can be determined if there are cancer cells found in the lymph nodes. Often a Sentinel Node can be found, if a dye is used before surgery. This dye is injected before surgery and will show which node is the main node that drains fluid from the cancer tumor site. (The lymphatic system drains non blood fluids throughout the body.)

If lymph nodes are found to have cancer cells within them the cancer has moved from the tumor site to other areas in the body. This movement of cancer cells away from the tumor indicates metastasis, or stray cancer cells that are traveling in the body. The final pathology will offer much information about the type of cancer, the location of the cancer and how best to treat the cancer to provide a cancer free life for the woman.

A woman who has been diagnosed with cancer, from a biopsy, then will see a surgeon who specializes in breast cancer. Surgery to remove the tumor is always needed, as long as the tumor is in the breast it will grow and chances are the cancer cells will travel away from the main tumor and spread throughout the body. These cells that move away from the main tumor will settle and grow into tumors in other parts of the body, not just the breast. The surgeon will ask questions about the woman's health and ask about the woman's family. If a woman has family members that have, or have had breast cancer, this information will be included in treatment decisions. The surgeon then will discuss ways to treat the cancer. A mastectomy which is a removal of the breast that has the cancer in it, with one or more lymph nodes removed is one choice. A lumpectomy which is removal of the cancer tumor and a small amount of tissue surrounding the tumor is another choice. The size of the tumor, determined by the mammogram, will influence these choices. If the tumor is large a lumpectomy may not be a good choice. The smaller the tumor, the better the chances of survival for the woman. The larger the tumor the more involved the surgery will need to be, such as a mastecomy. Sometimes chemotherapy is needed before surgery; the chemotherapy will hopefully shrink the tumor and kill cancer cells that may have moved away from the main tumor (metastasized). When this is done before the surgery, the hope is that after surgery most or all of the cancer will be gone and only radiation will be needed. Chemotherapy may be needed after surgery depending on the type and stage of the cancer.

Often the surgeon will ask a woman to see a radiation oncologist before her surgery. This consultation will allow the radiation oncologist, another cancer doctor who specializes in radiation, to review the woman's case and to offer choices of treatment. The options this doctor may offer are whole breast radiation after surgery, or partial breast radiation after surgery, or no radiation if a woman has a mastectomy and no cancer cells are found outside the breast that was removed in surgery.

One type of partial breast radiation is brachytherapy. Breast brachytherapy has been available for some time, but not all doctors are familiar with it. Brachytherapy of the breast is a good choice for some women. The size of the tumor and the location of the tumor are two of the determinations if this is a good choice. If the cancer is found out side of the breast, brachytherapy is not a choice for a woman. Brachytherapy is radiation given to the area where the cancer tumor was. This is where most cancers come back, in the same area they were to begin with. Brachytherapy can be given over five days, where as whole breast radiation if given over 6 weeks. This is an advantage for women who do not live near a cancer treatment center, women who live busy lives (most women do), or women who don't want to prolong their treatments. When a woman chooses breast brachytherapy the applicator that will allow radiation to go right into the space where the cancer was; is placed at the time of surgery. Brachy means close. It is another advantage of brachytherapy. Only the tissue around where the cancer tumor was is radiated; the normal tissue is exposed either not at all or to such a low level of radiation it is not affected by the radiation.

The brachytherapy treatments are given two times a day, at least 6 hours between treatments, for a total of ten treatments. This type of radiation requires special equipment and knowledge, many cancer centers now have both the equipment and the radiation oncologists that are specialized in this treatment.

The other type of partial breast radiation is accelerated partial breast radiation. This type of treatment also requires that the tumor is small and no cancer has been found outside the breast. This type of radiation can be given over a shortened time, days instead of weeks. The equipment to give these treatments is IMRT, which most if not all cancer centers have. This is external beam radiation that goes from the outside of the breast to the inside of the breast and radiates all of the tissue in the area. The advantages to this treatment are it takes less time, although it is also two treatments a day at least 6 hours apart, and it only radiates the portion of the breast where the cancer tumor was.

Whole breast radiation has been around for a very long time and is what all women received until the past 15 years or so. This type of radiation involves one treatment a day Monday through Friday for 6 weeks, a total of 30 treatments. It is external beam radiation that goes from the outside of the breast to the inside of the breast and radiates all of the tissue in the breast and surrounding area, not just the area where the tumor was. This type of treatment is favored when the tumor is larger or the cancer cells were found outside of the breast, such as in one or more lymph nodes. The lymph nodes can be included in the whole breast radiation. Some women will choose whole breast radiation because it has been used for so very long. Partial breast radiation has shown the same effectiveness in studies, when the woman is a candidate for brachytherapy.

Chemotherapy and biological therapy or hormone therapies are needed in specific cases. These treatment choices should be discussed with the surgeon, the radiation oncologist and a medical oncologist.

What ever choose a woman is given they need to be well understood before she makes her decision. Asking questions of her doctors and talking to her loved ones will be helpful. If a woman's decision is thought out it will probably be the best choice for her. Prayer always is beneficial.

God Bless you.