illness guide -cancer
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The American Cancer Society provides the A-Z on cancer. It might also be helpful to find an ACS in your area.
The motto of this site is "Tools to Help You Help." Also there's a terrific section on pain management. The site requires you to log in, but it’s no big deal. Just provide your email, name, zip code and set up a password.
This site is run by the National Cancer Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health, the government's principal agency for cancer research and training.
CancerCare provides free support services to anyone affected by cancer: counseling, education, financial assistance, and practical ideas. Download any of its many helpful brochures.
We recommend this handy booklet, downloadable from CancerCare. It's a thorough and easy-to-read reference.
How Is Cancer Treated?
The article below gives a great overview of traditional cancer treatments. If you'd like to find more information on types of treatments, finding treatment centers, choosing treatment facilities & health professionals and clinical trials visit the site from which we sourced this information.
source: cancer.org
Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are the 3 main types of cancer treatment. A person with cancer may have any or all of these treatments.
Surgery: Surgery is often the first treatment option if the cancer is a tumor that can be removed from the body. Sometimes only part of the cancer can be removed. And radiation or chemotherapy might also be used to shrink the cancer before or after surgery.
Chemotherapy: Doctors use chemotherapy or "chemo" to kill cancer cells. The term chemotherapy refers to the use of drugs to kill cancer. Usually, the drugs are given intravenously (IV or into a vein) or taken by mouth. Chemo drugs then travel throughout the body in the bloodstream. They can reach cancer cells that may have metastasized (spread) from the tumor.
Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is treatment with high energy rays (such as x-rays) to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The radiation may come from outside the body, called external radiation, or from radioactive materials placed directly in the tumor (internal or implant radiation). The procedure for getting external radiation is much like that of getting an x-ray and is painless, although some people have side effects.
Other types of cancer treatment: Other kinds of treatment you might hear about include hormone therapy, stem cell or bone marrow transplant, and immunotherapy. Hormone therapy is sometimes used to treat certain kinds of prostate and breast cancers. Immunotherapy is treatment designed to boost the cancer patient’s own immune system to help fight the cancer.
Also on this site is a Treatment Decision Tool that can “help you make an informed decision about your treatment. Using this interactive tool, you can access the detailed analysis of your specific condition, uncover a statistical breakdown of treatment types, and pinpoint the exact topics you should discuss with your doctor. It provides:
source: cancer.org
Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are the 3 main types of cancer treatment. A person with cancer may have any or all of these treatments.
Surgery: Surgery is often the first treatment option if the cancer is a tumor that can be removed from the body. Sometimes only part of the cancer can be removed. And radiation or chemotherapy might also be used to shrink the cancer before or after surgery.
Chemotherapy: Doctors use chemotherapy or "chemo" to kill cancer cells. The term chemotherapy refers to the use of drugs to kill cancer. Usually, the drugs are given intravenously (IV or into a vein) or taken by mouth. Chemo drugs then travel throughout the body in the bloodstream. They can reach cancer cells that may have metastasized (spread) from the tumor.
Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is treatment with high energy rays (such as x-rays) to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The radiation may come from outside the body, called external radiation, or from radioactive materials placed directly in the tumor (internal or implant radiation). The procedure for getting external radiation is much like that of getting an x-ray and is painless, although some people have side effects.
Other types of cancer treatment: Other kinds of treatment you might hear about include hormone therapy, stem cell or bone marrow transplant, and immunotherapy. Hormone therapy is sometimes used to treat certain kinds of prostate and breast cancers. Immunotherapy is treatment designed to boost the cancer patient’s own immune system to help fight the cancer.
Also on this site is a Treatment Decision Tool that can “help you make an informed decision about your treatment. Using this interactive tool, you can access the detailed analysis of your specific condition, uncover a statistical breakdown of treatment types, and pinpoint the exact topics you should discuss with your doctor. It provides: Oh, and it’s free.
- Full disclosure of treatment options, side effects, and outcomes.
- Personalized reports with pros and cons of treatment.
- Questions to ask your physician."
You're never as prepared as you think. Check out our list of 10 Essential Things you need to put in place for your parent's security and well-being - it's located in the Getting Involved/Be Proactive section.
"Health Guide: Cancer," The New York Times
"Alcohol May Increase Risk Of Breast Cancer Recurrence," by Tiffany O'Callaghan, Time Magazine
"Alcohol May Increase Risk Of Breast Cancer Recurrence," by Tiffany O'Callaghan, Time Magazine
