All Living with cancer Articles

NEW YORK -- Lipstick, moisturizer and a wig can't cure cancer. But beauty -- and beauty products -- can help heal wounded self-esteem, which often takes a big hit as patients undergo cancer treatment. Experts say hair loss, skin discoloration and skin dryness can undermine an already physically difficult and emotionally draining process. "Some days I didn't want anyone to see me or Read more...

Stress associated with marital separation may compromise an individual's immune system and lead to a greater susceptibility to cancer, U.S. researchers say. Gwen Sprehn of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis analyzed data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database, a population-based U.S. cancer registry. The researchers assessed the 5- and 10-year Read more...

It's already recommended for aches, pains and preventing heart attacks. Now, there's evidence aspirin may help in the battle against colon cancer. A study finds colon cancer patients who took the inexpensive wonder drug reduced their risk of death from the disease by nearly 30 percent. The new study suggests patients who already have colon cancer may benefit from taking aspirin along with Read more...

CHICAGO -- Scientists have found seven key genes in the type of brain tumor affecting Sen. Edward Kennedy that together can predict how aggressive a patient's cancer will be. The findings, appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, may eventually lead to tests that predict patient survival and drugs that target the culprit genes. While hundreds of gene mutations may Read more...

Weight loss and malnutrition are serious threats to patients battling cancer, who can find that their tumors or treatment sap their appetite, cause nausea and other side effects and block absorption the nutrients they do force down. Here are some tips from cancer specialists and dietitians to help: Try to eat five or six small meals throughout the day rather than three large ones. Cancer Read more...

Cancer patients having trouble sleeping reported having significantly more fatigue, pain and depressed mood than those who slept well, U.S. researchers said. Lead author Edward J. Stepanski of the Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network in Memphis, said the relationship between pain and sleep often has been assumed to be reciprocal. In the present study, a model of reciprocal Read more...

NEW YORK -- When Mike Stevens learned his lungs were riddled with cancer, it took only a week to start chemotherapy -- but six weeks to find out if it was doing any good. "You're going through all this suffering and stuff and you want to know, am I going to survive? Is this stuff working?" said Stevens, 48, of La Jolla, Calif. "Your whole life is in sort of a limbo." Read more...

WASHINGTON -- The days of one-size-fits-all cancer treatment are numbered: A rush of new research is pointing the way to tailor chemotherapy and other care to what's written in your tumor's genes. Everyone with advanced colon cancer now is supposed to get a genetic test before taking two of the leading treatments. It's a major change adopted by oncologists last month after studies found that Read more...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that disruption of the circadian clock –- the internal time-keeping mechanism that keeps the body running on a 24-hour cycle -– can slow the progression of cancer. The study disputes some of the most recent research in the field indicating that alteration of this daily cycle predisposes humans Read more...

Contrary to popular assumptions about the health benefits of green tea, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have found that the widely-used supplement renders a cancer drug used to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma completely ineffective in treating cancer. The study, conducted on mice, found that a component of green tea extract (GTE) called EGCG destroys Read more...

Scientists have long known that bladder cancer is much more likely to be deadly for women and African-Americans. But what they don't know is why. The reasons long believed to explain the phenomenon account for only part of the differences, according to results published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer. The results present a stark question for doctors and patients: If age, tumor type, Read more...

Sep. 2 -- The fanny pack on Kathleen Silvey's waist goes with her mountain biking and hiking. It's been to rock and country concerts. But inside the carryall is not a pair of sunglasses, car keys or cash. It holds a chemotherapy pump that pushes poisons to the deadly tumors in her abdomen. The rare cancer that has plagued Silvey for 3 1/2 years is expected to kill her. But the Read more...

For years, cancer patients have complained about the memory loss and attention problems they experience while undergoing chemotherapy. A new animal study from West Virginia University's School of Medicine suggests there may be a way to prevent those memory-related side effects -- often called "chemo-brain." WVU researchers have discovered that injections of a powerful Read more...

Return to Disease Management Main PageThis is a comprehensive reference guide to more than 100 health and medical conditions. From lifestyle changes to medications, each report features practical information on managing a disease or condition. Each report has been physician-reviewed to ensure medical accuracy and timeliness.This information is provided to supplement the care provided by your Read more...

by Steven Bratman, MD Policosanol is a mixture of related waxy substances manufactured from sugarcane, wheat germ, or beeswax. Sugarcane policosanol is the best-known form. Numerous studies enrolling a total of thousands of people reportedly found that sugarcane policosanol can substantially improve cholesterol profile. Not only was it reportedly more effective than placebo, it also proved just Read more...

by Ricker Polsdorfer, MDMain Page | Risk Factors | Reducing Your Risk | Screening | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment Overview | Chemotherapy | Radiation Therapy | Surgical Procedures | Lifestyle Changes | Talking to Your Doctor | Resource GuideWhile standard protocols have been established for the treatment of virtually all cancers, physicians will often modify them for their individual Read more...

by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MDMain Page | Risk Factors | Reducing Your Risk | Screening | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment Overview | Chemotherapy | Radiation Therapy | Surgical Procedures | Other Treatments | Lifestyle Changes | Living With Bladder Cancer | Talking to Your Doctor | Resource Guide While standard protocols have been established for the treatment of virtually all cancers, physicians Read more...

Adapted from the National Cancer Institute by EBSCO Publishing Editorial Staff If you have had radiation treatments, surgical removal of some lymph nodes, or an infection or trauma to your lymphatic ducts or veins, you need to know how to reduce your risk of lymphedema. Lymphedema is an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in tissue that causes swelling. (Lymphatic fluid is a clear fluid carried Read more...

Adapted from the National Cancer Institute by Marjorie Montemayor, MA If you are like many cancer patients, the thought of chemotherapy is more daunting than the cancer itself. However, the kind of side effects you have and how severe they are, depend on the type and dose of chemotherapy you receive and how your body reacts. What Causes Side Effects? Many anticancer drugs are made to kill Read more...

by EBSCO Editorial Staff Fatigue—feeling tired and lacking energy—is the most common symptom reported by cancer patients. The exact cause is not always known. It can be due to your disease, chemotherapy , radiation , surgery, low blood counts, lack of sleep, pain, stress, and poor appetite, along with many other factors. Fatigue from chemotherapy feels different from fatigue of everyday Read more...