Radiation therapy is a simple, painless, and generally well-tolerated tool for treating and even curing breast cancer. One of the most common side effects of radiation therapy to the breast (after a lumpectomy) or to the chest wall (after a mastectomy) is skin irritation. The reaction and its extent differ for every woman. Because radiation therapy is often such an important part of breast cancer treatment, it is important to know how to mitigate its side effects in order to gain the greatest benefit from the therapy.

Coping with Skin Irritation

Radiation-induced skin reactions are more likely to occur in people who received chemotherapy shortly before or during radiation therapy and in women who have a prominent fold under the crease of the breast. In fact, this area and the underarm are the most common areas of the breast to sustain a skin reaction. Most skin reactions resolve within a few weeks of completing radiation therapy.

Skin reactions are almost inevitable for women receiving radiation to the chest wall after a mastectomy. As a result, many radiation oncology facilities give such women a one-week prophylactic break halfway through the course of treatment, to reduce the severity of skin reactions.

The severity of a skin reaction varies from person to person. It can become more noticeable as the course of treatment progresses. Faint pinkness of the skin, brisk redness, sun burnt sensation, dryness, itching, peeling, darkening like a suntan, blistering, and moist oozing can occur.

When the reaction is severe, such as a brisk redness that evolves into blistering and moist weeping of the skin, women receive a treatment break, usually lasting a week or two. This rest is usually sufficient to alleviate the worst symptoms. When necessary, doctors can prescribe therapeutic creams. Radiation can be resumed once the reaction resolves.

Treating the Reaction

During radiation therapy, women can avoid chafing the irradiated skin by going braless or by wearing a cotton sports bra without an underwire that fits well below the crease of the breast or the irradiated skin of the chest wall. Women who can go braless altogether, should. If that is not a comfortable solution, women should wear a bra as infrequently as possible to reduce the likelihood and/or the degree of a skin reaction. Also, aerating the irradiated skin helps minimize skin reactions.

Over-the-counter moisturizing creams without alcohol and fragrance can reduce the extent of a skin reaction. Often, radiation oncology teams prescribe these creams at the beginning of radiation therapy.

Women should also try to be kind to the irradiated skin, which can be easily inflamed. Radiation oncologists suggest:

• Do not rub, scrub, or scratch the skin in the treatment area; instead, pat the skin dry and massage physician-prescribed anti-itch creams or ointments onto the affected area.
• Avoid sun exposure to the irradiated skin. When going outdoors, wear protective opaque clothing such as a cotton tee shirt.
• Steer clear of tight-fitting blouses and bras over the area unless instructed otherwise.
• Use only lukewarm water and mild soap recommended by the radiation oncology team on the treated area.
• Avoid using ice packs or heating pads on the treated skin.
• Steer clear of commercial deodorants and skin care products not endorsed by the treatment team.
• Do not shave the underarm on the treated side with a non-electric razor.
• Avoid skin care products for at least two hours before radiation treatment.

Although a number of people who undergo radiation therapy do experience skin reactions, most get past this temporary side effect. By working with their radiation oncology teams, people pass the metaphorical finish line of the course of radiation therapy, usually victoriously. Most importantly, they derive substantial benefits from radiation therapy and move on to leading productive, cancer-free lives.

Dr. Kornmehl is a board certified radiation oncologist and author of the critically acclaimed consumer health book, “The Best News About Radiation Therapy” (M. Evans, 2004). Her website is RTSupportDoc.com RTSupportDoc.com .

Related posts

• What Are The Available Breast Cancer Treatments (0)
• Male Breast Cancer (0)
• Loosing The Breast Cancer War - Part 1 (0)
• Cancer Trials - Are They Ready for Prime Time? (0)
• Cancer Insurance Plans – Who Needs One And How Do You Choose The One That Is Right For You? (0)

Tags: breast cancer, cancer treatment, chemotherapy, mastectomy

The most commonly used test to detect the presence of prostate cancer is the prostate specific antigen test, or PSA test.

This is a simple non-invasive blood test which checks for levels of a specific antigen produced by the prostate and gives your doctor an indication of whether or not there may be a problem with the prostate. Abnormally high levels of the prostate specific antigen will not necessarily indicate the presence of prostate cancer, but will signal that all is not well with the prostate and act as a signal that further testing may be advisable.

In some cases, though sadly as yet not enough cases, the PSA test is now included as part of routine medical examinations for men once they reach the age of about 40 and, for men with a family history of prostate cancer, some doctors will carry out the test at even earlier ages. It is also becoming increasingly common for a digital rectal examination to be carried out alongside the PSA test in men over the age of 50 as a physical check of the condition of the prostate gland.

To carry out the PSA test your doctor will take a small sample of blood which will then be sent off to a laboratory for testing. The laboratory will then check the sample for the level of the prostate specific antigen protein produced by the prostate gland and report its findings back to your doctor.

If the laboratory tests show an unusually high PSA level then, unless the level is particularly high, your doctor may advise that this is indicative of a possible prostate problem which could be anything from a simple prostate infection to an enlarged prostate or possibly prostate cancer. At this stage however, unless there are other factors which indicate that further testing is advisable, your doctor may well simply advise that the test be repeated in three or six months time to see whether or not PSA levels are still elevated.

As many prostate problems are very slow to develop, repeat testing is often carried out over an extended period of time with your doctor simply monitoring the results and plotting what is often referred to as the ‘velocity’ of your PSA. In other words, if your PSA levels are increasing, the doctor will monitor the speed of any increase until such time as he feels that this has reached a figure which warrants further testing.

Although some controversy surrounds the PSA test, principally because it does not provide a clear cut ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, it is nevertheless an extremely valuable test for detecting early signs of prostate problems and is undoubtedly responsible for preventing a very large number of prostate cancer deaths each year.

For more information on prostatecancerexplained.com/articles/how-to-check-for-prostate-cancer-using-the-psa-test.html” target=”_blank how to check for prostate cancer using the PSA test or for information about the problems of an prostatecancerexplained.com/enlarged-prostate.html” target=”_blank enlarged prostate gland please visit ProstateCancerExplained.com

Related posts

• Your Quick Guide To Facts About Prostate Cancer (0)
• Your Guide To Prostate Cancer And Natural Treatment (0)
• You Do What It Takes To Keep In Shape, But What Do You Do To Keep Your Prostate In Shape! (0)
• Worried About Prostate Cancer? - Nurse’s Report (0)
• Worried About Getting Prostate Cancer -Think Living Foods (0)

Tags: prostate cancer

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, but the deadliest one of all. It strikes about 3000 hard working people in the United States each year, mostly men over 40 years of age. It is caused by direct asbestos exposure, or from asbestos dust brought home on the worker’s clothing.

During the twentieth century, around 30 million tons of asbestos were used in industrial sites, homes, schools, shipyards and commercial buildings in the United States. Many asbestos-containing products remain in buildings, ships, industrial facilities and other environments where the fibers can become airborne.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the cells that make up the lining of the lungs, the inside of the ribs, and around the abdominal organs. In the past it was thought that cigarette smoking caused mesothelioma. However, with medical research it has been proven that it is caused by asbestos exposures.

Here’s what the asbestos does. When a person breathes in asbestos fibers, the fibers then travel to the ends of the small air passages reaching the lining of the lungs and damaging the mesothelial cells (the lining of the lung cells). If swallowed, these fibers can reach the lining of the abdominal cavity where they play a part in causing a cancer called peritoneal mesothelioma. The chance of ever getting mesothelioma rises with the intensity and duration of your exposure to asbestos.

And you may not get mesothelioma right away. Mesothelioma can even develop 20 to 50 years after the initial exposure. The average life span of an inflicted person from the time of diagnosis with mesothelioma until death is less the 6 months. So, who’s at risk?

People who work or used to work in asbestos environment, and spouses or children being exposed to asbestos fibers from work clothing brought home. Also, if you live in a house that was built in the mid 70’s or before, you have to know that most insulation materials, including pipe insulation; boiler insulation; fireproofing spray; firebrick and gunnite (used for internal insulation of furnaces and boilers); also many construction materials, such as roof, floor and ceiling tiles contained asbestos. You too might be exposed to asbestos. You need to have your house checked for any asbestos presence.

If you have ever been exposed to asbestos directly or indirectly, early symptoms of mesothelioma can include shortness of breath and/or pain in the lower back or at the side of your chest. Less often, you can experience trouble swallowing, cough, fever, sweating, fatigue, and weight loss. So, these early symptoms sometimes may delay your diagnosis as these symptoms are also related to other illnesses. It will be up to you to mention to your doctor the possibility of asbestos exposure, because your doctor may not suspect it right away. Your doctor then, has to use x-rays, CT scans or a breathing test to detect the presence of asbestos. He or she can further perform a biopsy (taking samples of your lung tissue) to confirm it.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you were most likely exposed to asbestos. Many asbestos manufacturers and even distributors knew for decades that asbestos was hazardous, yet they did not warn people of those hazards. As a result, you have a right of recovery against those manufacturers, which on the other hand can help pay the costs of treatment and provide compensation for your pain and suffering.

The first thing you need to do after being diagnosed with mesothelioma is contact a lawyer immediately to see if you have a case. Think about the source of your exposure, regardless of how long ago that might have been. Try to find the responsible parties. Whether that was your spouse’s work, your work, your parents’ work, the house you lived in, or anything at all that might have exposed you to asbestos.

Also, you need to ask your lawyer about your statute of limitations. Even if your family member has died from mesothelioma, you may still be eligible to file a claim. Even if you’ve never worked at a place that directly dealt with asbestos but you have gotten it through asbestos fibers brought home on clothes worn by a spouse or parent who worked in an asbestos environment, you may still be eligible to file a claim.

If diagnosed with mesothelioma, your doctor can only do so much to save your life. It will be mostly you religiously following the health directions given to you by your doctor and educating yourself about mesothelioma. Your doctor can help you save your life, but you can also help him or her help you by knowing how to deal with it.

Disclaimer: The author and publisher of this article have done their best to give you useful, informative and accurate information. This article does not represent nor replace any professional advice you need to get from a lawyer, or doctor, or other professional if the content of the article involves an issue you are facing. The author, publishers and marketers of this information disclaim any loss or liability, either directly or indirectly as a consequence of applying the information presented herein, or in regard to the use and application of said information. No guarantee is given, either expressed or implied, in regard to the merchantability, accuracy, or acceptability of the information. Thank you.

About the author: This article was produced by lawyer.bestinfo4you.com Attorney Resources and Lawyer Information website. Please visit lawyer.bestinfo4you.com/mesothelioma-attorney.html lawyer.bestinfo4you.com/mesothelioma-attorney.html if you need to lawyer.bestinfo4you.com/mesothelioma-attorney.html find a mesothelioma lawyer or if you need more information to help you with your attorney.

Related posts

• Your Household May Be The Cause of Mesothelioma Cancer (0)
• Where to Find Asbestos Attorneys (0)
• What You Need To Learn About Mesothelioma (0)
• What to Do When You Find Out You Have Mesothelioma (0)
• What Is The Function Of Mesothelium In The Body? (0)

Tags: mesothelioma

“My answer to the problem is: if you have enjoyed a good life while working with asbestos products why not die from it. There’s got to be some cause.”

This quote came from a purchasing director for Johns Manville corporation in 1966. Years later the company would face bankruptcy from being overwhelmed by nearly 16,500 asbestos lawsuits in what would become an important moment in the history of asbestos litigation.

For years large corporations like Johns Manville operated their asbestos manufacturing operations with internal knowledge of health problems and tried their best to control any information that hinted to the safety risks of asbestos.

It is a sad corporate legacy and one that continues to haunt the numerous dying and diagnosed men and women who seek compensation for their exposure. Some estimates put the number of exposed patients to nearly 27.5 million between 1940 and 1979.

It wasn’t until the mid-1970s that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began to regulate asbestos exposure. By then however it was all too late. New cases of asbestos related health problems will continue to be diagnosed every year at a rate of nearly 3,000 cases for mesothelioma alone. The reason is that asbestos related illnesses have long latency periods of up to 40 years before exposure can lead to cancerous formations.

According to Adam Raphael, “the best estimate of what lies ahead is a study published by the Yale School of Organization and Management in 1992. It predicts that there will be 200,000 asbestos-related deaths over the next quarter of a century at a cost to asbestos manufacturers and their insurers of $50 billion.”

With such liability it is easy to see why since 1985, nearly 16 major asbestos manufacturing firms have gone out of business. When they go out, it makes it nearly impossible for families to collect compensation.

Furthermore other companies still in business like Johns Manville have set up inadequately funded pools for compensation. Just last year W.R. Grace sent a notice to residents of Libby, Montana (the site of a once booming asbestos mine where 1 in 8 residents is infected with a lung disorder of some type) telling them that they were no longer sick and should seek other forms of medical assistance.

Its a sad corporate legacy where millions of average Americans worked long hours to provide a better life for their families only to get nothing in return from the employers who benefited.

Please visit this site for mesotheliomaweb.org Mesothelioma Information.

Related posts

• Your Household May Be The Cause of Mesothelioma Cancer (0)
• Where to Find Asbestos Attorneys (0)
• What You Need To Learn About Mesothelioma (0)
• What to Do When You Find Out You Have Mesothelioma (0)
• What Is The Function Of Mesothelium In The Body? (0)

Tags: mesothelioma