Cancer is the second most dangerous disease in United States of America. World Health Organization predicted that the deaths from cancer will overtake the death from heart disease by the year 2010. In counter, when we observe the past 50 year’s statistics, it shows that the deaths from cancer have been gradually decreased. This is because of the awareness level about cancer among people from all parts of the world. And also because of the fact that many alternative treatments have evolved over time. This alternative treatment for cancer started to act as a substitute for standard treatment methods like Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy and Surgery.

Now one has many choices to make for cancer treatment. One choice is going for standard Treatment methodologies wherein one will undergo anyone of the therapies like Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy and Surgery. A person who undergoes anyone of these treatments will only be treated in the affected area of the body and not the body as the whole. Many do not understand that cancer does not affect one part of the body. It is a systemic disease. It is prone to spread. These standard treatment methodologies only act as a treatment for symptoms. So there is enough opportunity for the recurrence of tumor. One might even have demoralizing side effects.

Another choice one might be thinking about is complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of cancer. This is the medical practice which is not part of standard care. The medical products that are used for this kind of treatments are available in nature. Standard care is what osteopaths and other allied health professionals such as registered therapists practice. Alternative medicines are used along with standard ones for better cure. Some of the alternative treatments for cancer are acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal medicines, aromatherapy, biofeedback, exercise, hypnosis, meditation, music therapy, relaxation techniques, Tai chi and yoga.

Alternative treatments do not work for everyone. But some techniques might help with nausea, pain and other side effects caused because of cancer treatment. The best method that one can use can be identified by consulting with doctors and interacting with the people who have undergone such treatment.

By: Dinesh Kumar D

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Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and it is a diagnosis that is dreaded by men of all ages. However, this diagnosis does not have to feared as it is not necessarily life threatening. Modern technology has advanced in its cancer treatment of this form of cancer and many life saving options are available.

This form of cancer is treatable with several types of alternative treatments such as radiation therapy and medications. Physicians sometimes suggest a combination of treatments to address and alleviate this cancer which forms in the walnut shaped gland that produces seminal fluid; this is the fluid that surrounds and transports sperm. There should be awareness that cancer must be caught early in order to prevent it from metastasizing (spreading to other areas in the body). Metastatic cancer is more serious and complex when it has reached a stage T2 or T3. The doctor will suggest aggressive treatments to stop additional spreading of the cancer throughout the body and to address the cancer.

Metastatic Prostate Cancer Treatment is available for cancer that has metastasized. This is advanced disease is a serious diagnosis and it is the second leading cause of death among men in the United States; however, the cancer can be addressed through removal of the prostate; external radiation or radioactive seed implant radiation; freezing of the prostate (cryotherapy); and non-curative therapies can be done in addition to cryotherapy radiation.

A diet change can also be beneficial. A low-fat diet may prove to be beneficial for patients who are undergoing treatment (a high fat diet is often contacted with the men who experience prostate cancer). Specific foods and nutrients such as: broccoli, tomatoes, green tea, soy, lycopenes, selenium, licorice root and antioxidants are documented as beneficial to reducing the threat of cancer. Vitamin E and Vitamin C have also been proven to reduce the risk of prostate and other forms of cancer.

Treatment of every kind should be addressed with a positive attitude which has also been shown to diminish the negative prognosis of prostate cancer. Those diagnosed with early, non progressive cancer as well as those diagnosed with advanced metastatic prostate cancer should carefully weigh and discuss all treatment options with their physician.

By: George Edmondson

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Finding out that you are diagnosed with cancer is without question one of the most difficult things to deal with in your life. Cancer is a disease that can spread quite quickly and can also be deadly depending on the form and degree of severity.

As soon as you get the diagnosis that you do have cancer, you should immediately be speaking to your doctor about what types of treatments are available so that you can take steps towards managing and hopefully freeing yourself from the condition.

The following are some of the main cancer treatment options available.

Radiation

Radiation is a non-invasive treatment for cancer that most people will opt for who are not going for surgery right away. In this form of treatment a large machine will emit a beam of radiation towards the tumor, which then serves to damage the cells.

The big drawback to this is that while the cancer cells will be damaged, the healthy cells will also die too. Other side effects, which can vary from individual to individual, includes feeling more fatigued than normal, showing a discoloration in the skin tone, or having a burning or itching sensation around the area where the radiation is being aimed at.

For those who are receiving radiation therapy for cervical cancer, you may also find that this makes you hit menopause at an early age.

Chemotherapy

The second form of cancer treatment available to patients is chemotherapy. Due to all the medical advancements that have taken place this therapy is available by pill or injection, so it tends to be one that many people lean towards.

The way chemotherapy will work is that the drugs will interfere with the ability of the cancer cells to grow and spread to other parts of the body, so this is a good option for those with smaller tumor growth areas or who are concerned with the disease spreading quickly.

The disadvantage to chemotherapy, like radiation, is that it will also kill the healthy cells in the body, which can cause a number of unpleasant side effects. This includes nausea, vomiting, decrease in appetite leading to weight loss, fatigue, hair loss, and an increased risk of infection as well. The healthy cells will grow back in the body over time, but it isn’t an instant process so you may feel ill for quite some time to come.

Surgery

Surgery is typically the treatment option that is resorted to if the above treatments are not working or you’re looking for a more aggressive treatment method.

If you’ve been diagnosed with cervical cancer, it will be critical that you’re speaking to your doctor early on as this option could impact your ability to have children down the road. If you’re currently of child-bearing age and are looking forward to kids in the years to come, it’s essential that you’re being careful about the specific treatments you choose.

Surgery is one option that many women will lean to in order to put up a best defense against cancer, however whether you should proceed with it will depend on a variety of factors such as the tumors location, your age, and overall health.

If it’s cervical cancer and the tumor is in the very early stage you may be able to treat it simply with a cone biopsy, which is your best case scenario. If the cancer is in a much later stage though, then the only way to remove it may be with a hysterectomy, which would then eliminate your ability to have children.

Photodynamic Therapies

Finally, one of the last types of therapy that is now available to treat cancer patients, especially those with lung cancer is photodynamic therapy. With this type of treatment a special drug is injected into the body and begins to work as soon as it’s exposed to light.

After being injected into the bloodstream the cancer cells would absorb it into the tissues and then you would be subjected to a light beam to activate the drug.

If you do currently have cancer, it’s essential that you speak with your own doctor about the treatments that are available. This is going to be quite a scary time for you but by getting straight what your options are, the side effects of each option, and the outlook for that treatment, you can better get a sense as to which will be best for your own individual situation.

By: Vianesa Vargas

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Cancer is one of the dreaded diseases since time immemorial. As noticed, when a family member is diagnosed to have a certain type of cancer, the whole family is greatly affected and of course grieve for what their loved one is experiencing. That is why prevention of cancer is undertaken and reminded on every individual so as not to experience the effects of this medical problem. However, when you are diagnosed with cancer, it can be treated especially when discovered at an early stage. There are a few effective methods on how this medical condition is treated.

Chemotherapy is one of the few cancer treatment modalities. It is a systemic form of treatment. The goal in its use is to destroy the greatest number of cancer cells possible without irreversibly damaging normal cells, while producing minimal structural and functional abnormalities. The progress in cancer survival rates can be attributed to the developments in surgery and radiation therapy and to an expansion in the use of chemotherapy alone or in the conjunction with surgery and radiation therapy.

The effects of chemotherapy however do not only include death of cancer cells but also of normal cells. First of all, this treatment of cancer destroys rapidly growing cells. Next, it interferes with the complex biological processes by which cells grow and divide. Lastly, it affects cells with a high rate of proliferation. These include not only the cancer cells but also the cells of the bone marrow, mucosal lining of the gastrointestinal tract and also hair follicles of the body.

There are four indications for this kind of cancer treatment. First of all, adjuvant chemotherapy is initiated early in the course of cancer when micrometastasis are suspected. For instance, women with breast cancer who have positive axillary lymph nodes at the time of surgery often receive this kind of therapy for 6 months to a year. Curative chemotherapy is administered with the expectation of eradication of the cancers like leukemia, lymphomas, and testicular cancer.

Chemotherapy for the control of cancer is the reason much of this treatment is given. Although it may not eradicate the cancer, control of the disease process may be possible for an extended period of time. Lastly, palliative treatment is given to control symptoms causing impairment of functioning. It can decrease the bulk of the cancer and improve the quality of survival.

This kind of treatment of cancer can be given as a single agent. However, combination chemotherapy is the most common approach in which variety of drugs with different actions affects the cells at different phases of the cell cycle. Combinations are designed to increase the effectiveness against cancer cells while not increasing toxicities to normal tissue and it delay or prevent emergence of clones of cancer cells that are resistant to specific drugs.

Details of how chemotherapy is administered are very important. Information regarding specific drugs must include about how it is administered, metabolized and excreted. If your body and the functions of different organs are inadequate, greater toxicities can occur. Therefore, when chemotherapy is indicated, dosages must be decreased if bone marrow, renal or liver function are compromised.

By: Jaimie Max

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For years, though the principles of tumor heating were widely understood, the technology to direct the heat in a concentrated area lagged behind the theory. In modern day hyperthermia, controlling heating placement is done using fine sensors and directional applicators that are now standard in hyperthermic medical treatment worldwide. Using microwaves and computers with these devices, cancerous tumors is heated from 107°F-114°F, breaking down the tumor without harming the surrounding tissues.

In normal tissues, blood vessels open up, when heat is applied, dissipating the heat and cooling down the cell environment. Unlike healthy cells, a tumor is a tightly packed group of cells, and circulation is restricted and sluggish. With heat applied to the tumor, vital nutrients and oxygen are cut off from the tumor cells. This results in a collapse of the tumors vascular system and destruction of the cells.

Hyperthermia in conjunction with low-dose IMRT is purpose intended to cure when tumors is localized. This approach has a curative intent, as opposed to palliative treatment used in conventional therapies like radiation alone, high toxic chemotherapy, and the “point of no return,” surgery, whose purpose is only to prolong patients’ lives. The high temperatures can destroy the malignant tumor without harming the surrounding healthy tissue. There is also evidence that hyperthermia increases the patients’ immune system, allowing the patients’ own system to fight the cancer as well as the side effects of other treatments. Hyperthermia also increases the effectiveness of radiation and/or chemotherapy.

Hyperthermia greatly improves results of other cancer treatments

Hyperthermia combined with radiation therapy or chemotherapy, there is a dramatic improvement in response rates. A recent study comparing results from leading hyperthermia researchers showed that beneficial responses were obtained by only 33% of patients treated with radiation alone, compared to 67% when radiation therapy was combined with hyperthermia. There is a twofold to threefold increase in the favorable response rate.

The most effective treatable sites Hyperthermia is known for are: brain, breast, bone, base of tongue, colon, neck, ovaries, prostate, skin, throat, thyroid, uterus and other anatomical sites.

The types of tumors hyperthermia is known for treating are: adenocarcinoma, carcinoma, thymoma, squamous cell, mesothelioma, sarcoma, melanoma, lymphoma, basal cell among others.

For many patients, battling cancer has also meant fighting constant pain, or relying on strong narcotics. However, there is now an excellent alternative without any addictive effects from drugs. Hyperthermia not only effects cancer treatment, but also can dramatically reduce pain. This can help patients to have more energy to their fight against cancer, and to have a better quality of life.

By: Tiena An

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