Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
There is nothing unusual about a non-profit organization publishing a calendar. There is something very unique about this one. Life is a Carnival is a bold approach to mastectomy and reconstruction education.
This 2008 calendar features photos from FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered members who have undergone bilateral mastectomy -- with or without reconstruction. To retain the anonymity of the models, they are wearing mardi gras masks.
This project is meant to celebrate life after mastectomy, to showcase many types of reconstruction and non reconstruction options in a nonthreatening and positive light. The calendar contains information about the models surgery with references included to the chapters in the Breast Reconstruction Guidebook which explains each procedure. A secondary goal of this calendar is to raise needed funds for FORCE programs.
What do you think is the best way to choose an experienced and quality surgeon? Some researchers think it's by reputation. That's how I got mine. A friend told me who he'd use if his wife or mother developed breast cancer and then more and more people began recommending the same surgeon. It seemed logical I'd use him too. And I'm glad I did.
A study published in the January 20 Journal of Clinical Oncology reveals that women who actively choose their surgeons by reputation are more likely to be treated by experienced surgeons in hospitals with comprehensive cancer programs. Reputation even beat out accepting referrals from other doctors or health plans.
Researchers now report that surgery plus either preoperative chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma does show a survival benefit.
Preoperative chemoradiotherapy resulted in a 19% reduction in mortality risk, with a greater survival benefit in patients with adenocarcinoma rather than SCC. Preoperative chemotherapy resulted in a 10% reduction in mortality risk, with this benefit seen only in patients with adenocarcinoma. These results come from a large meta-analysis of randomized trials.
Previous studies had shown that preoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy did not show a survival benefit. However, many of these studies were small. Most oncologists no longer treat esophageal cancer with only surgery, due to recent trials. This study strengthens that conclusion.
This study was published in Lancet Oncology in March 2007.
If you plan to tune in to Good Morning America on Monday, you'll see Robin Roberts looking back at you. The co-anchor, 46, expects to back at work on August 13, just 10 days after surgery for breast cancer.
Roberts, who was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump during a self-exam, is still waiting for the test results that will determine her course of therapy. Right now, though, she feels great and looks forward to returning to work alongside Diane Sawyer.
Texas Longhorns running backs coach Ken Rucker will soon take a leave of absence, following his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer. Rucker will have surgery on August 27. He wll keep coaching until this date.
Rucker, a 33-year coaching veteran, fully intends on returning to coaching this season.
"I plan to be back this season," he says. "No doubt about it; 100 percent."
Rucker's prognosis is good -- thanks to early detection.
ABC's Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts is at home resting after a successful surgery for breast cancer. Pathology reports will take some time to pocess, but when more information is available, the public will be updated, says a Good Morning America spokesperson.
Roberts, 46, told her story recently in an e-mail.
I never thought I'd be writing this. ... I have breast cancer," writes Roberts.
If you have been through cancer treatment recently, were you given varying opinions from several medical practitioners? If so, you are not alone, as many cancer patients seem to be lost in haze of confusing medical jargon and differing opinions from several doctors.
With more than 1.4 million new cases of cancer due in 2007, one would expect the knowledge and options to be somewhat standard. As we all know, every case if different and there are so many variables at play that a customized treatment set is needed. Do all doctors pay this much attention to each cancer patient? Very doubtful -- there just are not enough specific cancer specialists to go around in my opinion.
The best defense is a good offense, so eating right and taking care of your body in exemplary fashion is a great idea regardless. But, if you end up developing cancer, it may take a decent dose of leaning and aggressiveness to battle through to the other side.
Robin Roberts of Good Morning America has shared some deeply personal news with readers and viewers alike: she has cancer. While preparing for a tribute show for her colleague and friend, Joel Seigel, the hostess discovered she had a lump in her breast.
After visiting her doctor and getting a biopsy, her worst fear was confirmed. She is in the early stages of breast cancer. Her immediate thoughts were, "This can't be. I am a young, healthy woman."
Roberts is tackling the issue head on. By sharing her story with the public, she is setting a stellar example of facing her fears head on. She will soon be undergoing surgery and follow up treatments and her prognosis is very good. To send Roberts your support, click here.
We all want an experienced surgeon, of course, but are you sure your surgeon is experienced enough?
In a recent article published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, patients with prostate cancer who have a prostatectomy performed by a more experienced surgeon tend to have better outcomes.
A prostatectomy involves removal of the prostate gland and surrounding tissue. A study was done to evaluate the total number of prostatectomies a surgeon has performed and if this indeed had influence on recurrence rates.
It seems so, patients who had a surgeon that performed less than 10 prior prostatectomies had a recurrence rate of 18 percent. Patients who had a surgeon that performed over 250 prostatectomies had recurrence rates of only 10 percent.
I think the take home message here is, no matter what kind of surgery you are getting -- ask your surgeon how many times they have done this specific procedure. If it seems very low you might want to consult another surgeon who has more experience.
The more experience a doctor has at dealing with prostate surgery, the less likely the chance for recurrence according to a new study.
A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute stated that doctors were still making improvements to their handling of prostate cancer surgery until they reached an average of 250 surgeries performed. Just like with any other major procedure, physicians get better at certain processes with experience and repetition.
The study found that almost 18% of prostate patients treated by younger doctors saw some kind of cancer recurrence or associate problems within five years of the initial prostate procedure.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer there is. Decades of research and treatment, however, have not provided the medical community with the tools needed to effectively combat this type of cancer. Will it get any better soon?
That one quote could serve as marching orders for all oncologists and cancer specialists if you ask me. Conventional treatment of very deadly cancers does not seem to be going anywhere (and has not for a long while), and if there are breakthroughs on the horizon, conventional thinking will not have placed them there.
According to University of Cincinnati thoracic surgeons, many academic medical centers can integrate minimally invasive lung surgery into their training programs. Currently, only about 10 percent of lung cancer operations are done with these minimally invasive techniques, but over half of the patients who need the surgery would qualify for this less invasive procedure. Minimally invasive surgery can result in a faster recovery and less pain for the patient.
Minimally invasive lung surgery (thoracoscopic lobectomy) is performed through a series of small incisions rather than a major chest incision.
"Thoracoscopic lobectomy should be considered the standard of care for patients with early-stage lung cancers," says Michael Reed, MD, assistant professor of surgery at UC. "But few surgeons offer the procedure because it's difficult and requires a lot of additional training."
Prior to the implementation of this training program at UC, only 18 percent of lobectomies were performed with minimally invasive techniques; now Reed estimates that 75 percent at the hospital are done using this approach.
There are several treatment options for liver metastasis, one being surgery. Results published in the Archives of Surgery state that repeat surgery to remove cancer that has spread to the liver provides significantly improved survival among patients with colorectal cancer.
The surgery, called hepatectomy, is the surgical removal of cancer and the surrounding tissue. Researchers recently evaluated data including treatment with repeat hepatectomies among patients with colorectal cancer and liver metastasis. The study included 64 patients who underwent one or more hepatectomies followed by chemotherapy.
At five years the overall survival was 53 percent. Among patients who experienced a cancer recurrence, five-year overall survival measured from the first hepatectomy was 73 percent among patients who underwent repeated hepatectomy, compared with 43 percent among patients without repeated surgery.
Liver cancer experts attribute the rise in HCC, a highly aggressive cancer sometimes called hepatoma, to an increase decades ago in chronic infection with hepititis C & B and also chronic alcohol consumption. Worldwide liver cancer affects 700,000 people with 18,000 Americans diagnosed in 2006 and over 19,000 estimated to be diagnosed in 2007. The increase of this disease in the United States has doubled in one decade and over 16,000 people are estimated to die from the disease this year.
The rise in the United States is expected to increase. There are now 1.4 million people in the United States infected with HBV and 4 million are infected with HCV. Growing evidence suggests two other diseases now increasingly common in the United States to have significant risk factors for primary liver cancer. Diabetes and obesity.
HCC typically does not have any symptoms until its later stages which makes it difficult to diagnose. Traditional chemo does not treat the disease with much success and liver transplants or resection surgeries are needed. One reason why donors are very important in fighting this disease. When signs and symptoms do arise they might include weight loss, fatigue, pain in the upper right abdomen that may extend to the back and shoulder, feeling full after small meals, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, nausea, loss of appetite, and jaundice.
In late May, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announced updates to two NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) -- Esophageal Cancer and Gastric Cancer.
The panel added oral fluoropyrimidine, Capecitabine (Xeloda(R), Roche) as an option for treatment of esophageal and gastric cancer due to favorable Phase III trials. The panel also states that capecitabine may replace 5-FU and oxaliplatin may replace cisplatin in triplet regimens for advanced esophageal and gastric cancer.
Additional updates and the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) are available at www.nccn.org free of charge.
What do you think is the best way to choose an experienced and quality surgeon? Some researchers think it's by reputation. That's how I got mine. A friend told me who he'd use if his wife or mother developed breast cancer and then more and more people began recommending the same surgeon. It seemed logical I'd use him too. And I'm glad I did.
Researchers now 
If you plan to tune in to Good Morning America on Monday, you'll see Robin Roberts looking back at you. The co-anchor, 46, expects to back at work on August 13, just 10 days after surgery for breast cancer.
Texas Longhorns running backs coach Ken Rucker will soon take a leave of absence, following his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer. Rucker will have surgery on August 27. He wll keep coaching until this date.
ABC's Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts is at home resting after a successful surgery for breast cancer. Pathology reports will take some time to pocess, but when more information is available, the public will be updated, says a Good Morning America spokesperson.
If you have been through cancer treatment recently, were you given varying opinions from several medical practitioners? If so, you are not alone, as many cancer patients seem to be 
Robin Roberts of Good Morning America has shared some deeply personal news with readers and viewers alike: she has cancer. While preparing for a tribute show for her colleague and friend, Joel Seigel, the hostess discovered she had 
We all want an experienced surgeon, of course, but are you sure your surgeon is experienced enough?
The more experience a doctor has at dealing with prostate surgery, the less likely the chance for recurrence according to a new study.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer there is. Decades of research and treatment, however, have not provided the medical community with the tools needed to effectively combat this type of cancer. Will it get any better soon?
According to University of Cincinnati thoracic surgeons, 
There are several treatment options for liver metastasis, one being surgery. Results published in the Archives of Surgery state that repeat surgery to remove cancer that has spread to the liver provides significantly improved survival among patients with colorectal cancer.
Liver cancer experts attribute the rise in HCC, a highly aggressive cancer sometimes called hepatoma, to an increase decades ago in chronic infection with hepititis C & B and also chronic alcohol consumption. Worldwide liver cancer affects 700,000 people with 18,000 Americans diagnosed in 2006 and over 19,000 estimated to be diagnosed in 2007. The increase of this disease in the United States has doubled in one decade and over 16,000 people are estimated to die from the disease this year.
In late May, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announced 
