Posted by: Alyssa Morris in Cancer on November 2nd, 2011

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that kidney cancer treatments can be quite difficult to endure. Many resources exist for cancer patients which give different tips on coping with the onerous regimen of treatment. When a patient is initially diagnosed, they will be introduced to their treatment team. This team of health care professionals will give the majority of their care while their treatments are being carried out. The team will have an oncologist on it who will be the team leader, a radiation oncologist if the patient will be having radiation therapy, as well as a specialized cancer nurse and often a social worker to help the patient deal with the many issues that arise following a cancer diagnosis. All of the people will each play a vitally important role in the patient’s treatment.

Most people find that dealing with a cancer diagnosis is extremely frightening and intimidating. Nearly every person who is ever diagnosed with cancer will always first associate the diagnosis with a death sentence. However, it is important to remember that the number of cancer survivors increases every day. There are a number of different tips that can help a patient over the initial frightening experience.

The first and foremost thing to do is to educate the patient with as much information about their particular diagnosis as possible. This will help them move from a frightened and insecure patient to an informed patient. This will also equip them very well with the knowledge they will need to make the many decisions with which they will soon be faced regarding their treatment options. This will allow them to fare much better both psychologically and physically and become an active participant in their cancer treatment. They will be able to ask their treatment team questions as treatments and options are brought up in team meetings.

There are literally hundreds of places that offer extensive information about cancer in general and kidney cancer, in particular. The American Cancer Society is usually a patient’s first stop for the most reliable information. It is all available online and is all free to the general public. They have extensive resources on kidney cancer.

They also offer a great deal of information on all the types of treatments that are available for kidney cancer. There is information on the benefits and detriments of each different treatment and information about possible side effects of different types of treatments and chemotherapies. They also have information on the most up-to-date clinical trials that are available and what is required to participate in them.

The next thing that a newly diagnosed kidney cancer patient should do is obtain good emotional support. Undergoing cancer treatment can be like riding a roller coaster. One day, the patient will feel on top of the world, the next day, they will be depressed beyond measure. These feelings are normal and having someone to talk to can be a great help. Support can be found in the form of a cancer support group. These are often found at cancer centers and usually meet weekly. They are quite often facilitated by a social worker or a cancer nurse, someone with advanced training in how to deal with the emotional issues that arise in people with cancer.

Posted by: admin in Cancer on July 26th, 2011

Lung cancer is considered the most common form of cancer in the world. Studies also show that it is the leading cause of death because of cancer in the United States. In the year 2007 alone, there are more than 200,000 cases reported, and the numbers just keep on increasing each year.

Cancer usually occurs when normal tissue cells undergo a alteration that results in rapid growth. Most lung tumors are considered malignant. It can destroy all the other healthy tissues in the body if it remains undiagnosed and untreated. Some lung tumors are metastatic from cancers in the other parts of the body.

The following are the signs and symptoms that a person might be suffering from lung and pulmonary tumors:

  • Coughing
  • Wheezing
  • Constant shortness of breath
  • Coughing up blood
  • Weight loss for no apparent reason
  • Pain
  • Patients who are diagnosed to have stage I and II lung cancers that are still in good medical condition are often advised to undergo surgery. The possibility of recovery is high. However, for patients who already have relatively poor medical condition are treated with radio therapy.

    Radiation therapy is being offered by the Colorado Cyberknife Cancer Facility in Lafayette. A newly installed advanced radio therapy alternative called the Cyberknife Treatment for lung and pulmonary tumors is fast gaining popularity.

    For patients who only have small tumors but refuse to go into surgery, Cyberknife Treatment for lung and pulmonary tumors is often recommended. Data show that radiation has been used to treat lung cancer in 1960 which showed about 50% two-year survival. It is from these medical studies that the Cyberknife Treatment for lung and pulmonary tumors was derived. Modern doctors just made use of the advanced technology that is made available to them.

    Cyberknife Treatment utilizes radiation. It is made up of a linear accelerator source that is mounted on a robotic arm. This state-of-the-art treatment has been proven to be an effective treatment for different tumors. With the recent installation of the Cyberknife VSI Treatment at the Colorado facility, the Cancer Center is able to give more and effective alternative treatments to tumors. This modern treatment can easily track the motion of the tumors; this is more useful in the treatment of lung cancer.

    Cyberknife Treatment for lung and pulmonary tumors boasts of its non-invasive kind of treatment which significantly lowers the risk of developing complications. This state-of-the-art system can treat even the most hard to reach tumors, that some doctors have given up on since they are inoperable. The system’s ability to provide radiation in different angles greatly minimizes the risk of damaging the neighboring healthy tissues.

    Doctors who perform Cyberknife Treatment do not use scalpels, hence the treatment is painless and there is no need to sedate the patient during treatment. Blood loss is also avoided. Patients who undergo this treatment can immediately go home right after since there is no need for the body to recover after the treatment. This treatment is considered outpatient.

    The Cyberknife Treatment definitely offers a better alternative than open surgery.

    Posted by: Alyssa Morris in Cancer on March 3rd, 2011

    Cancer was once considered to be an incurable disease. Medical practitioners have been researching remedy for this serious illness since ages. Today cancer can be treated fortunately if it is detected in primary stages.
    The cancer treatment is too expensive though the chances of success are questionable if you are treating it in much later stages. People who once feared the disease have now developed an extra fear of not being able to afford the cancer treatment. Even in case you have enough money for treatments what would be left in your pocket if you survive it. Especially the overall expenses of medical facilities in developed countries are too costly to bear.
    If you do not have good insurance covers you will surely be running out of all your savings which you may have after paying the medical bills. For this there is a good option available for you. You should do routine checkups after a certain age where there is a possibility of getting a cancer. Especially in case you are already vulnerable due to various addictions or family history get a good health insurance policy so that you will not be denied for it or have to pay higher premiums due to applying at later age.
    It is obvious that cancer can strike you without any warnings. You have to search for various treatment avenues which are cheaper than the ones which all resort to. Medical tourism is one such option. There are medical tourism agents who provide you much cheaper options of treatments abroad in case you cannot afford the medical facilities in the domestic country or state. You may need this facility for you or for any of your loved ones. So always maintain a rapport with medical tourism agencies which provide effective treatments through offering packages inclusive of immigration, medical treatment as well as other related services necessary. Cancer treatments are available at much affordable rates in developing countries due to the advancements.
    The world has come really closer due to globalization. And tourism industry has developed so much proving to be boon for the patients who once had no bargaining power either with their ailments or the available medical treatments. You can now safely get cancer treatment through these agents and feel free to even let other know of this facility that may be searching for similar remedies.
    You can search for medical tourism online and get all the related information easily.

    Posted by: Alyssa Morris in Cancer on December 30th, 2010

    The United States has a free market healthcare system that some people would like to change to a universal healthcare system. Most other industrialized nations use a universal healthcare system and there are similar debates in those countries about switching to ours. Both have advantages and disadvantages but when it comes to cancer treatment, our healthcare system has a higher survival rate than any other. We have a middle of the road ranking for the amount of people who get cancer here, and some people would like to argue that cancer occurrence can be linked to healthcare. Getting cancer can be caused by lifestyle, working environment or just bad luck, but treating cancer has everything to do with the quality of the healthcare system.

    • In our free market system, new technology is developed along with new treatments at great expense to the researchers. In most cases this is done with the understanding that the new treatments will be very expensive to help return the cost of development and fund new research. As time goes on, this technology becomes more common and the price drops to an adjusted rate to fit the market. Without this cycle, new healthcare advances wouldn’t come about and we wouldn’t move forward with extensive new ways of treating patients. For a time after they are introduced, not everyone can afford these new methods; which is why some people believe our system to be unfair.
    • In a universal healthcare system, new technology and treatments are rarely developed. There is very little return on investment because the fees that doctors charge and what they can do to treat you is all regulated by the government that is paying for it. Expensive advances aren’t cost effective, so until they become affordable and common they aren’t offered to anyone. The system is fair for everyone because everyone gets low quality healthcare evenly. As a person ages they become more expensive to treat, until eventually the government has to decide if an expensive cancer treatment is worth a few extra years for an old patient.

    Aggressive diseases like cancer, HIV and many others will always be better treated by a free market healthcare system. Treatments are expensive and aren’t guaranteed, so government run healthcare plans will only pay the bare minimum. People who have universal healthcare go to the doctor twice as often, because it’s free; so they learn earlier that they have cancer, but can’t do anything about it. Many people from around the world come to the United States for treatment of these diseases if they can afford it. Without developing new technologies, they would never become common for everyone to have access to them.

    With universal healthcare everyone gets the same kind of coverage, but with our system we need to have a health insurance policy. Not everyone can afford to purchase a regular insurance policy if they don’t get it from their employer, but there are alternatives to traditional insurance. Discount fee for service plans like Ameriplan, and catastrophic plans are all viable ways to get to a doctor. Without insurance or something like it, one big expense can bankrupt almost anyone; so getting a plan before a tragedy happens is a must. The debate between the two systems will continue for a long time, but the need for quality healthcare will remain the same.