The wife of a friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer nine years ago. She underwent mastectomy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. She was well after that. She was a pride of the medical establishment and was invited to the “Celebration of Life” party. But it was not to be. Soon after receiving the invitation she did not feel well. Her arm swelled and the doctor said this could be due to the effect of radiotherapy done NINE years ago. In November 2002, she was hospitalised and diagnosed as having metastasis of the brain. She underwent radiotherapy. After the tenth treatment she developed severe lung infection and her white blood counts dropped drastically. Further radiation treatments (twenty more sessions) were abandoned. She remained immobilised in the hospital for more than two months. After that, she developed bladder infections. She was discharged from the hospital at the end of January 2003. In mid-March 2003, she passed out stools with blood and her blood pressure dropped (internal bleeding?). On 17 March 2003, my friend called to say that his wife had died that afternoon.

My experience in cancer work has shown that death and suffering do not come suddenly following the appearance of a small lump in the brain. Then, what about the blood in the stools? Could this be another of the effects of radiation? I have once said: “In serious cancer cases, even doing nothing could be better than taking the so-called scientific, proven heroic path.”

Stories from England

The Daily Mail of 31 March 1995 carried an article entitled: “Cancer Deception” by Paul Eastham.
Four angry members of RAGE (Radiotherapy Action Group Exposure) told the Members of Parliament’s Health Select Committee that “thousands of breast cancer victims were ‘fooled’ into having needless radiation which left them crippled and in agony.” They said doctors had assured them that radiotherapy was needed only as a precautionary measure after “their breast surgery and did not warn that their bones could crumble and they could lose the use of limbs.”

RAGE was founded by Lady Ironside who suffered paralysis of the arm after having undergone surgery and radiotherapy because of breast cancer. Her bone became brittle after radiotherapy and she suffered repeated fractures to her injured arm, collar bone and four ribs.

Lady Ironside said: “The radiographers weren’t frank with me. All of us in RAGE were told that there would be no profound side effects. We would suffer perhaps temporary nausea and exhaustion but no permanent injury … Perhaps I was trusting and foolish. Now I suffer severe pains and paralysis. If I had been properly informed about the dangers, I would have walked away and said, “No, thank you”, and taken my chances.”

Later, Lady Ironside discovered that nearly one in five breast cancer patients irradiated at one London hospital suffered severe injuries which would steadily get worse.

The suffering of Lady Ironside is not an isolated case of radiation side effects. Many others have also suffered like her. RAGE represents 1,000 breast cancer radiation victims and is in touch with 2,000 more.

Former art historian Lorna Patch, 72, was forced to stop working after her right arm was paralysed following radiotherapy. She said: “I was never warned about the risks. I am in constant pain. The condition is quite irreversible and progressive.”

Jan Millinglon is a 55-year-old headmistress. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1982. She had a lump removed and then underwent radiotherapy. Jan Millinglon claims that the hospital distributed leaflets at the time of her treatment declaring that the side effects were short-lived. Her right arm, however, is paralysed as a result of radiotherapy.

For more information about complementary cancer therapy visit: cacare.com cacare.com, NaturalHealingForYou.com NaturalHealingForYou.com, BookOnCancer.com BookOnCancer.com

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When you mention prostate cancer, many men start to panic. The reality is, though, that prostate cancer is very similar to other cancers, in that the earlier you find it, the better your chance of successful treatment. Once the cancer has developed too far, however, it becomes extremely difficult if not impossible to treat. The risk of developing prostate cancer rises dramatically over the age of fifty, so it’s important that men in this age group are checked periodically for prostate cancer.

While screening for prostate cancer is not a routine procedure, the required tests are available upon request. Regular testing is very important for a number of reasons. Firstly, once you pass the age of fifty, you’re at a much higher risk of developing prostate cancer. It’s generally believed this risk continues to rise as you get older. Above the age of seventy-five the risk rate skyrockets. Around fifty percent of the cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in this age bracket.

It’s also believed that genetics play a part in how much at risk you are. If you have a family member with the disease, it’s important to realize your chances of getting it are much higher. So regular checks will help you detect it earlier. Certain racial groups are also more prone to prostate cancer. Asians are generally considered low risk, whereas Americans, African-Americans and Europeans are higher risk. Be aware, though, that Asians who’ve lived in the US for an extended period of time start to show higher rates of prostate cancer that are more in tune with the risk level of Americans.

Prostate Cancer Tests

There are a number of different tests used to detect prostate cancer, and your doctor will usually use more than one before giving you a conclusive diagnosis. Detection is most effective when a number of tests are performed.

Firstly, everybody’s favorite - the rectal examination. The subject of countless jokes, this involves a doctor inserting a gloved finger into the patient’s anal tract so that he can manually feel the prostate gland. This is a good way of detecting an enlarged prostate, but cancer is not the only cause of an enlarged prostate. Still, this is a quick and simple way of detecting one of the possible symptoms of prostate cancer.

An ultrasound can also be performed, which involves (here we go again!) inserting a small probe into the patient’s anal tract. An ultrasound scan of the prostate is then conducted. The scan accurately reveals the current size and shape of the prostate.

If all this talk about the anal tract is bothering you, then the next test will sound much better - the PSA blood test. In medical terms this is called the prostate-specific antigen blood test, and is one of the most common tests used in the detection of prostate cancer. The levels of this particular antigen are checked, and if they’re on the high side, this can be an indicator that prostate cancer is present. Again, this has to be verified with other testing as well, as some other conditions can cause a rise in PSA levels.

If there are concerns, a biopsy may be undertaken. During this procedure a small sample is taken from the prostate for further analysis. To do this, a small probe (don’t you hate that word?) is inserted into the anal tract, and the prostate is poked with a needle to obtain a sample.

It’s also possible, once cancer is suspected, that an x-ray will be taken of the bones located near the prostate. Quite often prostate cancer doesn’t just affect the prostate, but spreads into the lymph nodes and nearby bones. An x-ray will show any damage that’s been done to nearby bones.

For more information on onlineprostatehealthguide.com/Prostate-Cancer-Diagnostic-Testing.html prostate cancer diagnostic testing, natural prostate cancer treatment options, prostate cancer symptoms and onlineprostatehealthguide.com/Gleason-Scores.html gleason scores try visiting OnlineProstateHealthGuide.com located at onlineprostatehealthguide.com onlineprostatehealthguide.com

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In this article we will look at the different types of breast surgery that you may be offered if you have breast cancer.

However before any operation takes place the surgeon will talk to you and discuss with you the most appropriate type of surgery for your particular case of breast cancer.

It should also be remembered that no surgery will take place prior to you consenting to it.

Where breast surgery is concerned the type of surgery that will be performed depends on the size of the cancer in your breast, whether it has spread to any other parts of your body and also personal preference.

However, if your cancer has already been diagnosed then your surgeon will talk to you about the type of surgery that you will need. Although there may be times when the surgeon can not make a decision on what type of surgery he carries out as they do not have a definite diagnosis on the type of cancer that you have. Therefore they may need to carry out a small operation to remove some of the lump in order to examine under a microscope before taking the rest out.

The types of breast surgery that you may have are as follows:

1. Mastectomy - Removal of the whole breast.
2. Lumpectomy or Wide Local Excision - Where only the lump is removed from the breast.*
3. Segmentectomy - This where just part of the breast is removed.*

*These second two options are also known as conservative surgery.

In some cases a patient who has had breast surgery for cancer may need to under go radiotherapy afterwards and this is particular true for those who have either a lumpectomy or Segmentectomy surgery. This lowers the risk of that patient having their cancer returning as it will hopefully kill off the rest of cancer cells if any left after the surgery has taken place. Whilst in other cases patients who have had a mastectomy may find that they are having radiotherapy to the lymph nodes above the collar bone to make sure that all cancerous cells have been removed. Normally the surgeon will discuss what kind of treatment you will have with the radiotherapist once the results from the surgery are back. Unfortunately not radiotherapy treatment can be planned until after the operation has been carried out.

There are many reasons as to why a surgeon will recommend a particular kind of breast surgery, but they will try their utmost to follow a patient’s wishes. In some cases some women would like to keep their breast at all costs, whilst others may prefer to have a mastectomy (because they feel that once the breast is gone the cancer will be gone also) or it is because the do not wish to have radiotherapy. In fact a great deal of research has been carried out and has proved that there is no difference in the outcome whether a patient has a mastectomy or conservative surgery with radiotherapy instead. In fact it has been found that both forms of treatment work equally well in treating breast cancer.

Lee Dobbins writes for surgery.health-g8way.com surgery.health-g8way.com where you can find out more basic information on different types of surgery including other types of surgery.health-g8way.com/Articles/Breast_Surgery.php breast surgery.

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Prostate cancer is a serious diagnosis. When you find out your have prostate cancer, you want to make sure that you get the right treatment for the type of cancer you have. In order to do this, you will need to work with your doctor and understand your options for the latest treatment on prostate cancer.

Understanding your Options:

There are several options you have when it comes to find the right cancer treatment. Some possibilities range from the “watchful waiting” all the way to the most radical—removing the testes. It is important to understand that there are side effects to all prostate cancer treatment and some forms of treatment work better for some men than other. Here are some of the options you have for the latest treatment on prostate cancer

• Watchful Waiting: This is the least invasive form of cancer treatment and simply is a method of waiting to see what happens over a period of time. This is often the best option for early stages of tumors and prostate cancer.

• Brachytherapy: This is one of the latest treatment on prostate cancer options. This is also a minimally invasive way to treat prostate cancer. It involves implanting radiation “seeds” in the prostate is an excellent choice for young patients or those that are in very good health otherwise. This latest treatment on prostate cancer has less side effects than other treatments and usually has very good outcomes for many men.

• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is probably the most common when it comes to treating prostate cancer. This is almost always used when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, or for late stages of prostate cancer. There are side effects associated with using chemotherapy, however, this may be the only treatment option for some men that suffer from prostate cancer.

• Hormone therapy: This form of treatment is designed to block or suppress the growth of cancer cells in the prostate. It does not kill the cancer, but does prevent it from spreading and growing. There are side effects from using this latest treatment on prostate cancer.

• Prostatectomy: This latest prostatecancertreatmenthelp.com/Laser_Prostate_Treatment/ treatment on prostate cancer requires the surgical removal of the prostate. This is often the best way to ensure that the cancer cells do no spread to other parts of the body. This is one treatment that is often recommended for those that are in good overall health and can overcome surgery well. There are very few side effects, other than those associated with surgery.

There are other ways that your doctor may choose to treat your prostate cancer. There are always changes when it comes to treating cancer and if you use a well-qualified cancer specialist, you can be certain that your doctor knows and understands the lasted treatment on prostate cancer options. Only you and your health care provider can decide which type of treatment is right for you.

You can also find more information at prostatecancertreatmenthelp.com/Prostate_Biopsy/ Prostate Biopsy and prostatecancertreatmenthelp.com/Prostate_Exam/ Prostate Exam.prostatecancertreatmenthelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know more about prostate cancer treatment.

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