Chemotherapy is harsh, which is good when it comes to killing cancer. What's not-so-good is that it can also cause hair loss, inflict nausea, and disable the proper functioning of all sorts of organs -- including the ovaries. Chemotherapy, therefore, can affect female fertility.

In some cases, doctors have extracted immature eggs from adult women about to receive chemotherapy, matured them in a laboratory, and then implanted them when the women are ready to have children. Until now, no one had ever tried this with eggs from young girls -- girls who have not yet undergone puberty. But it's just recently happened.

Doctors have removed eggs from young female cancer patients and for the first time, have brought the eggs to maturity before freezing them.

There's nothing like a little benign news to start the day, nothing like a voice on the other end of the phone saying, "the pathology on your biopsy came back and everything is benign. We'll see you in one year for your next appointment."

While my dermatologist was freezing the pre-cancerous actinic keratoses lesions on my nose last week, she decided to cut out a suspicious chunk of skin on my hand. It was much worse than the freezing. She gave me a shot and numbed the area and then literally dug a hole into the skin just below the pinkie finger on my right hand. For days now, I've been applying antibiotic ointment, bandaging the wound, and whining about the twinges of pain that shoot through my hand.

My hand is still sore today. But I don't have skin cancer. And that makes the pain a whole lot more tolerable.

Parents may want to save their kids' baby teeth for more than just nostalgic reasons -- they may want to save them because they are rich in stem cells and the pulp tissue could provide the means to treatment for injuries and disease. BioEden Inc. is a new company out of Austin, Texas pioneering this effort that is so new some doubt science will ever catch up with the expectations of this firm. But President Jeff Johnson says all evidence indicates that baby teeth are a wonderful source of stem cells -- cells that doctors and researchers pursue for their capability of replicating and morphing into specialized cells that can be used to repair the body. Experts think baby teeth stem cells might one day be used for bone, teeth, and even nerve cell regeneration which could hold potential for spinal cord injuries and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Parents may find brochures in their dentist offices featuring the benefits of banking their children's teeth once they fall out. And pursuing tooth banking is no different than pursuing any other dental procedure. There are fees involved, of course -- banking fees and perhaps referral fees from dental offices -- and other considerations that each parent must weigh. Dr. Phil Hunke, president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and pediatric dentist for 32 years, says the idea of removing cells and freezing them holds true promise -- and he may want to bank the tooth of a child or grandchild once he learns more. Dr. Kevin Donly, a professor of pediatric dentistry, says he sees some potential but will not be banking teeth for his three little boys. He just doesn't think he's at the point where it's necessary. Another pediatric dentist -- Dr. John Updyke -- believes that if money were not an issue, all parents should bank their kids' teeth. But many young families can't afford the initial $595 and the $89 annual storage cost it requires. And without a solid scientific backing, tooth banking might not come up as a priority for many when it may take 10 years or more to even determine how useful these specific stem cells will be.

According to a new Institute of Cancer Research study, researchers have determined that men in their late 50's might be undergoing unnecessary prostate cancer surgery and radiotherapy. Based on the research, the surgery and radiation treatment currently advised for men in this age group is not likely to extend survival. The conclusion of the study is that men who are in their late 50's can expect to live 15 or more years without surgical intervention or radiation treatment. Two recent procedures are being used more and more -- implant of radioactive seeds and a process of deep freezing a tumor to destroy it.

This is good news for men with low-grade prostate cancer as both surgery and radiation can have adverse and unwanted side effects that can diminish the quality of life. If you are a man who has been diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer, and your doctor recommends surgery or the traditional radiation treatment, you might want to seek a second opinion about the other treatment options available before consenting to treatment. At least you will know if less invasive procedures are possible for your specific cancer case.