How are children surviving cancer today? Better than ever before. Some childhood cancer patients, now in their young adult years, are expecting to reach milestones in their lives others before them never would have reached.

Today, 1 in 1,000 young adults in the United States is a childhood cancer survivor. In the 1970s, the chance a child would outlive leukemia or lymphoma was 25 percent. Today, it's 80 percent. That's better than most adult recovery rates.

As recovery rates rise, a new frontier is on the horizon -- follow-up for these young people as they age. You see, the very treatments that saved these individuals may cause them complications later in life. It's not yet clear what happens when kids live 20 to 30 years beyond diagnosis. But teams at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, plan to find out as they launch one of the most ambitious follow-up programs to date. Contacting 5,000 patients who have survived for more than 10 years, doctors hope they will recruit a group to receive free check-ups for life. They'll also receive blood tests, MRI scans, even fertility counseling. Their medical histories will serve as rich textbooks for medical professionals and future patients -- so the war on childhood cancer can continue.

Italian opera great Luciano Pavarotti, in the midst of a battle with pancreatic cancer that began in July 2006, was released from the hospital Saturday after two weeks of hospitalization due to a high fever.

The 71-year-old Pavarotti is now at home where he will be closely monitored by doctors.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, often detected in its latest stages and affording patients only months of survival. Pavarotti has survived the disease for more than one year.

Italian opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti, who had surgery for pancreatic cancer in July 2006 and then was hospitalized this August 8 due to a high fever, will stay in the hospital for further testing related to his disease.

Pavarotti, 71, is now fever-free. Still, he will remain hospitalized so his cancer can be fully investigated.

At the time of Pavarotti's surgery, he had been planning to resume his farewell tour. But he has made no public appearances since this time.

Health care is expensive, even for those with insurance. My treatment with the breast cancer drug Herceptin cost $5,000 every three weeks for 52 weeks. Insurance paid 80 percent; I was responsible for 20. That's $1,000 every three weeks. Not exactly affordable.

What many of us don't know is that we can play an active role in cutting our health care bills. We can shop around for everything, for example. Before filling a prescription, consider comparing prices offered at mail-order and online pharmacies with those of larger retailers. You may even find that mom and pop shops offer competitive rates since they can set their own pricing. Don't forget about generic drugs too. Ask your doctor if a generic version of your medication is just as good as a brand name drug. If so, go for the price break.

Did you know that lab work is more expensive if you get it at a hospital? Ask your doctor for other trustworthy locations and save a few bucks.

Though the prom is mostly a distant memory for me, I can recall with vivid detail the feeling that it was the crowning achievement of my life and though I've since had much more definitive moments, at that time it was everything. As someone who had a pretty typical upbringing, I can't imagine what it would be like going through that stage of teenage angst with cancer. My biggest problem was finding a dress, while others are wondering how they will get through the night after a round of chemo.

I find this story of a group of teens with cancer and their opportunity to attend the prom inspiring and simultaneuosly heartwarming and heartbreaking. Armed with wheelchairs and life-saving machines, they posed for pictures, danced and mingled with fellow cancer survivors, and for one night at least they had a chance at normalcy, a chance to worry about finding a dance partner and keeping their make-up fresh instead of worrying about the fight for their life.

Merv Griffin, inventor and producer of TV game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, has been hospitalized for a recurrence of prostate cancer. The cancer was discovered during a routine examination several weeks ago.

Now in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the 82-year-old Griffin says, "I'd rather play Jeopardy! than live it. I was ready for a vacation; however, this wasn't the destination I had in mind."

Griffin's son, Tony, said his father is getting great care. His medical team wants to monitor his progress in a controlled setting, he said, and that's why he's in the hospital.

According to TV Squad, Griffin has another game show in the works. Let's Play Crosswords will premiere in syndication across the country this fall.

When researching children's hospitals and oncology programs, you should have a list of questions that are relevant to the child's cancer. The same questions should be asked at each hospital so you can compare answers and make an informed decision about where to seek treatment.

Some questions include:

• What clinical trials are available?
• What type of research is going on for this type of cancer?
• What are the success rates?
• How many of these type of cancer cases do you see each year?
• Have you treated a child with this type of cancer?
• What cancers do you specialize in?
• Do you offer support groups?
• Do you allow family-centered care which allows families to be part of the treatment plan?

Pediatric cancer care is much different than cancer treatments in adults, many parents decide to go to a children's hospital like St. Jude's for care. Whatever the choice, make sure that you are getting the best possible care for the child as you can. Since you are their voice and their advocate, you have to do what you can to make sure that you are giving them the best opportunity to fight and beat childhood cancer.

When you're diagnosed with cancer, most likely you will receive some kind of surgery. Usually, your physician has a list of care instructions for you to prepare before surgery.

What about after-surgery preparations? When you return home it can really make you feel better if you are well prepared. You'll thank yourself for the steps you take beforehand while you're recuperating.

Seven ways to prepare for after surgery:

1. Take care of any pressing issues so you won't have to deal with them when you come home from the hospital. For example, pay bills that are due. You also might want to pay some bills that are due at a later date, or just get them ready to mail out.
2. Go to the grocery store and stock up on food. Hopefully someone will be catering to your every need but its always good to have a plan B.
3. Get prescriptions filled ahead of time that will be needed after surgery. Sometimes you only get the prescriptions after the surgery is over, but you can ask you doctor to give you what you need ahead of time. You don't want to be waiting in line for your drugs when you're in pain and just out of the hospital.
4. Treat yourself to some special things that you like. Examples: Aromatherapy candles, soothing music or videotapes/DVD's to watch.
5. If you like to read, buy some books to give you something to do when you're less active. If you have another hobby that you enjoy, stock up on that too.
6. Catch up on household chores so you won't feel stressed out and can relax when you return home.
7. Accept help that others offer. Plan to rest as you need and don't push yourself.

I love it when I find research coming straight from the halls of the very hospital where I received my breast cancer treatment. It reminds me that I'm in good hands, that University of Florida researchers are on the cusp of breaking through the mysteries of cancer, that I may one day be the lucky recipient of cutting-edge discoveries, like this:

University of Florida researchers report in a paper to be published in the August issue of Stem Cells that bone marrow stem cells attracted to the site of cancerous growths often take on the appearance of the malignant cells surrounding them. While these cells look like cancer, though, they may not act like cancer. They have the same skin, says lead study author Dr. Chris Cogle. But the question is: do they have the same guts?

"Our results indicate these cells act as developmental mimics; they come in and look like the surrounding neoplastic tissue, but they aren't actually the seed of cancer," said Cogle who is affiliated with the cancer center I've called home for more than two years.

My six-year-old Joey told his grandmother -- my mom -- the other day, "Nana, you are generous." It was thoughtful and touching and it brought a smile to her face. Later that night, Joey said the same to me. "Mom, you are generous," he proclaimed. And now I'm not sure if he really meant his sweet sentiments or if he was just practicing one of his new kindergarten vocabulary words. Regardless, it got me thinking about how generous his Nana really is.

My mom not only generously gave me life. She also saved my life -- not in the medical, scientific manner surgeons and oncologists saved my life but by the sheer force of love, support, comfort, and undying devotion that seems to involuntarily pour from the hearts of moms with sick children.

Many cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed at advanced stages, its one of the gynecological cancers that is hard to diagnose in the early stages of the disease. Ovarian cancer needs to be treated correctly from the get -go for the best chance of survival.

It seems that some women are not receiving appropriate surgery in the United States based on an article in Journal Watch by Andrew M. Kaunitz MD.

A study found that out of 10,000 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer from 1999 to 2002, only forty two percent underwent surgery at teaching hospitals. Almost half of the patients in the study were operated on by surgeons who performed fewer than 10 ovarian cancer surgeries each year. Scarier yet, the study showed that about 25 percent of these women underwent surgery by very-low-volume surgeons -- less than one annually.

Dr. Kaunitz advice is to seek out a gynecological oncologist to get comprehensive care that is needed.

Don't be afraid to ask a surgeon -- How many times have you performed this surgery?

You may not have known it but actor Sean Connery has been fearing cancer for the past two decades.

The Scottish Connery, 76, has been seeing doctors for 20 years so growths in his throat could be monitored. Fearing the worst -- cancer -- Connery wanted to stay on top of things.

Results from a recent medical appointment reveal Connery has been given the all-clear, according to his brother Neil who is also plagued by throat polyps.

Some were concerned about Connery's absence from a New York Tartan Week charity show he was scheduled to host two weeks ago. Apparently, there was nothing to worry about. He was just just getting his check-up, and he later assured fans he is in good health.

"It is something which needs to be followed through," says his brother. "You have to have yearly checks and that is why Sean went to the hospital, just to make sure everything was all right."

Connery's father died of throat cancer at age 69. Connery himself was rushed home from filming in Africa in 1993 due to throat problems. He later received radiotherapy treatment.

The final nine episodes of HBO's Sunday night hit The Sopranos feature the stuff of life. You know -- blood, guts, betrayal, angst, and cancer. It's not quite the stuff of my life, well, except for the cancer part.

Actor Vince Curatola, who plays Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni, powerfully weaves cancer into the end of this popular television drama. Diagnosed with lung cancer, his character is given three months to live -- in a prison hospital bed.

Johnny Sack says very little in the last episodes. He does gasp to his wife in episode two, "I'm very, very sick," but he lacks the lung capacity to muster up much more. He disease is considered stage four.

The cancer depictions -- one shows Johnny Sack shuffling down a long corridor in his hospital robe, oxygen tank dragging behind -- are right on, say those who've taken an early peek at the shows. And reportedly, the cancer scenes pretty accurately reflect the concerns of the larger culture -- where cancer has become an epidemic that sadly, won't come to end in nine episodes.

Jack Nicholson has been serving up a steady stream of cheer for cancer patients at the Cedars-Sinai Los Angeles hospital.

The Hollywood icon and Oscar winner has been visiting terminal patients and cheering them up with jokes, card games, and behind-the-scenes stories about his career.

Nicholson's next career move comes in the form of a movie called The Bucket List. He plays a dying man in the film and began spending time at the hospital to research his role. But once his film finished, Nicholson kept visiting. He was that touched and moved by the patients.

Hospital staff say the actor's visits do wonders for the patient spirits. The only down side is for Nicholson who finds it hard to leave, knowing he may have seen some of his new friends for the last time.