As with all cancers, early detection provides the best chances at survival and recovery. Affecting over 230,000 men nationwide, prostate cancer, considered the most curable cancer, has an almost 100 percent chance for cure if found in the early stages. Unlike some cancers, there are some simple screening tests that can provide very early information, even before any symptoms arise.

For most men prostate screening is recommended at age 50 and annually thereafter. For individuals with one or more risk factors, being African-American or having any family history of prostate cancer, (relatives such as father, brother or son), routine prostate screens are recommended starting at age 45.

For a thorough screening, two procedures are conducted.

The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Test is a simple blood test measuring a biological indicator. During a routing physical, men have a rectal exam that checks for physical signs of enlargement in the prostate area. Physicians may counsel men on the importance of understanding risk factors and submitting to an annual prostate screening.

In prostate cancer, cells in the prostate grow and regenerate in an uncontrolled manor, which damages surrounding tissue and can interrupt normal prostate function. When these cells spread to other parts of the body, it is still referred to as prostate cancer, after its place of origin.

Treatments - Conventional and Unconventional

Surgery to remove a cancerous prostate is often performed. The use of laparoscopic surgery has eliminated the need for a large incision and an extended recovery period. An even newer technology, robotic surgery, may be the next leap ahead in minimally invasive surgery. With the margin of error between the prostate and the cancerous cells being only millimeters, the precision of robotics is ideal. Important quality-of- life issues associated with prostate surgery are preservation of sexual and urinary function, and reducing the possibility of surgical damage to key nerves is important.

Most patients with prostate cancer die when the cancer spreads to the bones. In an effort to increase survival and prolong remission for patients whose cancer has spread to the bone, studies are investigating chemotherapy in combination with insertion of a radioisotope (radiation emitting agent) directly into the bone. Though traditional chemotherapy is the standard treatment, remission is short. The use of the radioisotope with chemotherapy targets bones with the isotope compound and radiates the tumor inside the bone.

When bone cancer can be subdued, and pain is reduced, patients report a better standard of living. This combination prolongs survival for some months, but as important, gives the patient a much better quality of life.

Some chemotherapeutic agents are so specific they can cut the blood supply to the tumor, trigger programmed cancer cell death.

Like some breast cancers in women, the majority of prostate cancers are hormone-affected. Prostate tumors use the male hormone, testosterone, to fuel tumor growth. Of the 230,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States, about one-third need hormone therapy, removal all testosterone from the body, to shrink the tumor.

Though treatment of onset stage of prostate cancer is highly successful, the need for early diagnosis is just as critical. PSA testing has made early diagnosis and cure rate for prostate cancer the highest of any cancer.

Want to learn more about cancer-breakthroughs.com/prostatecancer/ prostate cancer? Dr. Logan Pallas’ Cancer Breakthroughs website goes into much more detail about successful prostate cancer treatment and other related cancer topics.

Tags: breast cancer, cancer treatment, chemotherapy, prostate cancer

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Waiting for a transplantation of body part or a bone-marrow graft, brings things to a sudden realization and has a great impact on mental faculties. The high medical supervision which characterizes the ongoing operations constitutes a series of tests which engage in deep studies to gauge the capacities of physical and psychological resistance of the patients to which these techniques are addressed.

The teams of transplantation scientists gradually took up the practice of joining in with psychiatrists and psychologists, as well to evaluate the feasibility of such a project of care and to try to prevent the various chance mishaps of the type created by behavior or emotions, that would help with specific future grafts and during the most difficult periods of the follow-up.

The unity of the collaboration of the psychiatrists and psychologists extends to further build up the resistance needed by patients being treated for an aggressive cancer or graft and being able to look after them in teams. Indeed, the medical fraternity constitutes also a true support for the family of the patient, who generally has just lived multiple sufferings related to the evolution of a chronic disease towards the final phase.

Even tested, this family preserves a role of stability and strength for the patient, and its active participation in the assumption of responsibility of the patient deserves to be constant.

Lastly, the psychiatrist and the psychologist also assist in the support of the whole team conducting numerous team meetings, primarily looking at the expression of difficulties or assumptions of responsibility towards the patients:

Aiding the medical teams to cope with disappointments during treatments such as:

When a patient does not respond well to the general procedures of the team.

Hostility from patients who do not show themselves co-operating enough.

Difficulties during the mourning of lost patients in the event of death or quite simply at the time of their exit.

Various psychological characteristics raised at the time of the assessment make it possible to predict the survival rate of grafted patients. The initial objective of this evaluation is to highlight the existence of psychiatric counter-indications by specifying the risk of not observing later medications in particular.

This non-observance of proper medication after treatments can then indeed constitute an immediate vital threat; in all the cases it seriously compromises the efforts made up to that point by the medical team tending to them and the patient himself.

In the event of transplantation of a body part for a child it is important to evaluate the parental concerns and involvement in this long-term plan. Changes in the family relations were highlighted in particular when the donor of the body part is a relative.

Little attention was carried to the evaluation donor but some propose it should systematically be taken into account particularly mental stability, the structure of the personality, the degree of motivation of the donor and the existence of family pressures for the gift.

Also frequently observed was the patients exit from hospital and their introduction back into mainstream family life. Depression was often accompanied by disillusion which can indeed result from long waiting periods between treatment and relational difficulties with family or staff.

In addition even those who exit in favorable conditions are still susceptible to a time of mourning. Mourning of a body function or a body part, the images of a fresh graft this can all lead to depression and emotional mental thoughts, even mourning for the donor who lost his or her life to contribute the new body part has been regularly documented.

The other topic which very frequently appears after transplantation of a body part more precisely relates to the new body being inhabited by the spirit of the donor. The patient can have the feeling sometimes that there are two people in the same body. The sexual identity of the donor is also a source of curiosity with transplant patients. It is particularly the case when the donor is of opposite sex and that the receiver fears he or she will acquire the donors sexual characteristics.

The role of the psychiatrist is not to get the patient physically well but to help the medical teams properly evaluate and adapt treatment as required while emotionally supporting the patient and family.

Riz Stone writes exclusively for

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Cancer is the name given to any illness resulting from one of our body’s own cells growing out of control. There are many processes that control a cell’s growth and division, each of which can go wrong. Several of these control mechanisms need to be damaged before a cell becomes cancerous. There are more than 200 different types of cancers, which are categorized in to carcinoma, sarcoma, lymphoma and leukemia based on the cells from which they arise.

The principles involved in treating cancer are – either directly destroying the cancer tissues or indirectly destroying them by depriving them of blood supply and/or their nutrition. But the irony is that whatever conventional treatment is used to destroy cancer cells do affect to some extent the normal cells also. They may damage the skin, liver, intestine the bone marrow and other rapidly multiplying cells. Sometimes the effect of the treatment is more devastating than the disease itself.

Role of Alternative Medicine in treating cancer

A larger study of Alternative medicine use in patients with different types of cancer was published in the July 2000 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. It was found that nearly 70% of the patients used at least one form alternative medicine along with the conventional treatment. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) are sponsoring a number of clinical trials at medical centers to evaluate alternative medical therapies for cancer.

Alternative medicine includes therapies like herbal remedies, vitamins, special diets, and acupuncture among others.

* Acupuncture:

-effective in the management of chemotherapy associated nausea and

vomiting and in controlling pain associated with surgery. Now used in a

trial to reduce the symptoms of colorectal cancer

* Homeopathy

* Ayurveda

* Shark cartilage: Being tried in non-small cell lung cancer. it prevents new blood vessels growth

* Hyperbaric oxygen: In patients who had larynx removed for larynx cancer

* Massage therapy: for cancer related fatigue

* Pancreatic enzyme therapy along with specialized diet for the treatment of pancreatic cancer

* Mistletoe extract: for the treatment of solid tumors

* Wheatgrass therapy

* Macrobiotics: The macrobiotic diet is strictly vegetarian and requires you to consume about half of your daily calories from whole grains, about a quarter of your calories from vegetables, and the rest of your calories from beans, seaweed and soups

* Bioelectric therapies

* Moerman’s Anti-Cancer diet

* Hoxsey herbal therapy

* Essiac herbal therapy: Essiac is a herbal tea mixture that relieves pain and reduces the size of tumors. It contains four herbs- burdock, rhubarb, sheep sorrel and slippery elm

* Pau D’Arco herbal therapy

* Chaparral herbal therapy

* Laetrile (amygdalin): a chemical found in lima beans, raw nuts and the pits of many fruits. Amygdalin produces cyanide, which proponents claim kills cancer

* Alkaline diet: such as fruits and vegetables and restricting acidic foods

* Antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables

* Vitamins A, C and E: These are very good anti oxidants

* Detox therapies including Gonzales nutritional metabolic therapy, colon therapy, and Gerson therapy
The most successful practitioners integrate various components of the alternative cancer treatments for a better outcome.

Markus writes and publishes articles about independent-views.com/category/alternative-cancer-treatments/ alternative treatments for cancer, and other unbiased health related topics on independent-views.com/ Independent-views.com

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Ovarian cancer is deadly and has a very high mortality rate. It is a disease, which affects the ovaries initially and then spreads to the pelvic area. Surgery and chemotherapy are the only treatments that work in the initial stages.

Bracelets are accessories worn on the wrist. They could be a fashion statement, but can also serve a bigger cause when worn to symbolize a cause and to show solidarity. There are a variety of causes, including deadly diseases such as AIDS and cystic fibrosis that are supported by people the world over.

Ovarian cancer awareness bracelets are made of various materials such as sterling silver pieces and Swarovski crystals. They are endorsed with a ribbon charm and closed with a sterling silver toggle. They come in different designs, colors and sizes. Some bracelets feature encouraging phrases such as ‘Cure Ovarian Cancer’ and ‘Together we shall survive.’ These lovely bracelets are marketed in lattice bags and tied with ribbon. The fight for ovarian cancer awareness is represented by the teal fiber optic beads. The crystals signify the fight for survival and the ordeal of the patient. It is with a lot of pride that the supporter wears the bracelet.

A percentage of the income from the sale of every ovarian cancer awareness bracelet is given to recognized charities to support their awareness and services provided to patients suffering from the dreaded disease. Wearing these bracelets raises awareness of the disease. The charities try to provide monetary assistance to the ovarian cancer patients by trying to meet their daily living and medical needs. Along with spreading awareness and raising required funds, these bracelets help people understand the implication of the dreaded disease. The awareness efforts are promoted and supported by various welfare groups and charities that are operative worldwide.

e-OvarianCancer.com Ovarian Cancer provides detailed information on Ovarian Cancer, Ovarian Cancer Symptoms, Ovarian Cancer Treatments, Ovarian Cancer Stages and more. Ovarian Cancer is affiliated with e-mesotherapy.com Mesotherapy Before And After.

Tags: cancer awareness, cancer patient, cancer treatment, chemotherapy, ovarian cancer

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