Info cancer treathment: April 2008

Monday, April 28, 2008

Advanced Gall Bladder cancer treatment

Advanced Gall Bladder cancer treatment?
Is there anyway to treat advanced gall bladder cancer except chemotherapy?
Cancer - 6 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
The only effective treatment is to have the gallbladder removed. The response rate to chemo is quite poor in gallbladder patients. Radiation relieves pain in some patients. Unfortunately, none of these things improves survival with stage 4 disease.
2 :
I agree with Denise. There is no reason anyone should have to live with gall bladder cancer. You can live very nicely without your gall bladder. I had mine out when I was 35 and I'm 63 now. Why in the world would any Dr leave in a cancerous gall bladder? I just don't get it. Like Denise said, cancer treatment for the gall bladder is poorly received by your immune system. So whoever you're talking about, be it yourself or someone you know, ask why the gall bladder was not removed. Be blessed
3 :
Gallbladder Cancer Center Cancer of the gallbladder, a rare form of cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the tissues of the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that lies just under the liver in the upper abdomen. Bile, a fluid made by the liver that helps to digest fat, is stored in the gallbladder. The gallbladder is actually and extension of the bile duct that carries bile from the liver to the intestine. Cancer of the gallbladder is three times more common in women than in men. It is also more common in people who have hard clusters of material in their gallbladder called gallstones. Gallbladder cancer is hard to diagnose because that organ is hidden behind others organs in the upper abdomen. It is sometimes found after the gallbladder is removed for other reasons. http://www.cancercenter.com/gallbladder-cancer.cfm
4 :
For advanced Gall Bladder Cancer other than giving Chemotherapy and Radiation theraphy treatments the other option is SURGERY. In surgery the following methods are used depending on the condition and other factors of the disease - Types of Surgeries done for Gall Bladder cancers - 1. Gallbladder cancer may be treated with a cholecystectomy, surgery to remove the gallbladder and some of the tissues around it. Nearby lymph nodes may be removed. A laparoscope is sometimes used to guide gallbladder surgery. The laparoscope is attached to a video camera and inserted through an incision (port) in the abdomen. Surgical instruments are inserted through other ports to perform the surgery. Because there is a risk that gallbladder cancer cells may spread to these ports, tissue surrounding the port sites may also be removed. 2. If the cancer has spread and cannot be removed, the following types of palliative surgery may relieve symptoms: A. Surgical biliary bypass: If the tumor is blocking the small intestine and bile is building up in the gallbladder, a biliary bypass may be done. During this operation, the gallbladder or bile duct will be cut and sewn to the small intestine to create a new pathway around the blocked area. B. Endoscopic stent placement: If the tumor is blocking the bile duct, surgery may be done to put in a stent (a thin, flexible tube) to drain bile that has built up in the area. The stent may be placed through a catheter that drains to the outside of the body or the stent may go around the blocked area and drain the bile into the small intestine. 3. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage: A procedure done to drain bile when there is a blockage and endoscopic stent placement is not possible. An x-ray of the liver and bile ducts is done to locate the blockage. Images made by ultrasound are used to guide placement of a stent, which is left in the liver to drain bile into the small intestine or a collection bag outside the body. This procedure may be done to relieve jaundice before surgery. - " OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. PLEASE SPREAD THE AWARENESS ". -
5 :
Yes, as long as one is still able to eat, there's the macrobiotic diet, which some doctors will recommend if toxic conventional treatment fails ( which is often ). Since a bad diet contributes to cancer development, it therefore follows that a good diet can also cure it.
6 :
Advanced gall bladder cancer can rarely be resected because of extent of disease. I am assuming that the cancer is inoperable and chemo was offered. Another option may be radiation therapy to try and control the disease. ASCO: Gallbladder Cancer http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Gallbladder+Cancer You might consider joining a support or discussion group of patients that have gallbladder cancer and see what treatment options they may know about. Rare Cancer: Bile Duct, Pancreas, Gall Bladder & Cholangiocarcinoma Forum Discussion http://www.rare-cancer.org/forum/

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Thursday, April 24, 2008

What are effects of prolonged hormone therapy for treatment of prostate cancer, specifically seratonin levels

What are effects of prolonged hormone therapy for treatment of prostate cancer, specifically seratonin levels.

Medicine - 1 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Serotonin is not a hormone, it's a neurotransmitter located in the brain. Estrogen is used for prostate cancer. Hot flashes are the most common side-effect.

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Sunday, April 20, 2008

With Obamacare who gets better treatment? Cancer patient or person with Down Syndrome

With Obamacare who gets better treatment? Cancer patient or person with Down Syndrome?
I had cancer I have Insurance I am still here!
Politics - 9 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Ha ha ha good question! Probably none of the above.
2 :
Which ever one is a politician, otherwise they're both screwed.
3 :
neither they both get little care
4 :
Neither, that would not fall into the rationed mantra.
5 :
Probably the person with Down Syndrome. They'll figure the one with cancer is going to die anyway and recommend hospice care!
6 :
neither, they will not be cost effective, especially if they are over 55. look at the other countries that have free service, btw, they pay a huge amount in taxes for this 'free' service, or lack of service. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2jijuj1ysw&channel=stevencrowder if this plan is so great, why does congress exclude themselves from participation? http://fleming.house.gov/images/FLEMING%20HEALTH%20CARE%20RESOLUTION.pdf
7 :
Both!
8 :
your question is premature because Obama hasn't told us yet what "Obamacare" will consist of.
9 :
Down Syndrome 4 sure 2 hell with something that is actually treatable lets treat something that is not going 2 do a bit of good for the patient nor the expenditure MAKE SENSE?

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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Is there a treatment for skin sores and iching from colon cancer

Is there a treatment for skin sores and iching from colon cancer.?
I have rectal cancer stage 4, I've had chem.and rad. treatment, and now iam breaking out in sores iand iching almost out of control.I have not had any treatment in 11 months.
Cancer - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/colon/patient
2 :
Are we talking about the rectal area? You can try a sitz bath to help with the sores. You can buy one that fits over the toilet or you can just sit in a bathtub with a low level of water. You can buy saline solution or make it yourself by adding 2 tsps. salt (10mls) to every Litre (1000 mls) of water. Saline is more soothing than water. The temperature should be luke warm. Try not to use hot water because it dries out the skin which will probably make it more itchy. Warm water will increase vasoconstriction and may decrease itching. Do not add bath oils or other products to water. A hand held shower with a gentle spray or bathtub may be appropriate alternatives. Maximum 10 - 15 minutes, repeat up to 4 times a day and/or after each bowel movement. Gently pat area dry with a soft towel or expose area to room air. It might be a good idea to visit your doctor too. They may be able to prescribe some cream for you to use over the affected area. Hope this helps.

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Saturday, April 12, 2008

What are the types of cancer treatments

What are the types of cancer treatments?
what types if cancer treatments are there?
Cancer - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Chemotherapy and chemotherapy drugs.
2 :
Chemotherapy, radiation treatment and surgery.
3 :
The type of cancer treatment doctor recommends depends on the type of cancer, the size and location of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread, and overall health. The most common cancer treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. These therapies may be used either alone or in combination with other therapies. Other cancer treatment options include targeted therapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, and bone marrow/stem cell transplantation. In addition, patients are encouraged to consider clinical trials when making treatment plan decisions. A clinical trial is a research study to test a new treatment to prove it is safe, effective, and possibly better than the standard treatment. Your doctor can help you review all clinical trial options. The first treatment a person is given is called first-line therapy. Adjuvant therapy is treatment that is given after the first treatment (such as chemotherapy after surgery). Neoadjuvant therapy is treatment that is given before the primary treatment (such as radiation therapy before surgery). As cancer care becomes more specialized, many people are now treated by a team of doctors, nurses, and other health care specialists. Usually one doctor, often the medical oncologist, will lead the coordination of the person's care. Learn more about the oncology team. It is also important that people with cancer and their families feel comfortable about their doctor and his or her recommended treatment plan. It is always appropriate to seek a second opinion.
4 :
The treatment of the cancer depends on the type of cancer. Location of the cancer Whether the cancer is malignant. The stage how far advance it is. General condition of the patient. Chemotherpy uses drugs to destroy the cancer. The down fall is it does not know good cells from bad cells. Which is why allot people loose their hair. It ether eliminates the cancer. control and slow the growth of the cancer to prolong the patients life. reduces the size of the cancer to eliminate pain and improve quality of life. It can cause alopecia loss air. Nausea and vomiting. anorexia anemia, fatigue, low white blood cell count, less platelets in the blood. Radiation therapy involves the use of high energy ionized beans at the site of the cancer. This treatment is good because it doe snot destroy healthy tissue. I have seen patients with red markings there arms. It is important not to wash the markings the doc or nurse put on the arm. Thats where they use that spot for inserting medication. Then their is immunotherpy. It alters the patients immune response and eliminate the cancer. Various biological agents are given to change normal immune response. If you know someone who is dying they can go to hospice and pallative care. Allot people want to know the difference. hey both specialize in comfort care of when you are dying. Pallative care more likely to shrink a tumor if it was pressing on your spinal cord making life painful when you are dying. Hospice method would be to just give you morphine. Surgery is usally first done to get a boipsy to test if it is cancerous. Then if it is cacnerous they remove the cancer. It may involve removal of part of the organ lungs, breast ect.. The surgeon removes as much of the cancer as possiable. If he can not remove it all other methoids are used.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Group Health Coverage - I may be changing jobs, whose health plan covers my wife's current cancer treatment

Group Health Coverage - I may be changing jobs, whose health plan covers my wife's current cancer treatment?
She will be facing six months of chemotherapy and follow up doctor visits. Our current provider covered a January surgery and hospital stay and has been great. Would my new employer's plan typically cover a pre-existing condition?
Insurance - 6 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
If you have a lapse between the time your new employer covers you and your wife, you must apply for Cobra coverage. You will have to pay the premium on your own until your new employer picks up the insurance. It will ensure that there is no lapse in coverage between the time you/she were not covered by your new employer. Make sure that you address this situation tomorrow with your employer before you change jobs. If there is a lapse between coverages, you may be subjected to the "previous condition" policy. Hope everything turns out great for your wife, bless her heart.
2 :
as long as their is no laps in coverage, your wife should be o.k. if the new plan would cover new plan the treatments like her old one.good luck for your wife.
3 :
As long as there is no lapse in coverage - meaning your current policy ends the day before the new one takes effect, then they should pay for it, under continutiy of care. If you might have a lapse, pay for COBRA coverage - it's worth it to shell out a couple hundred a month rather than hundreds of thousands later. Good luck. I hope your wife recovers well.
4 :
Your question pertains to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), assuming you're US residents and you'll be working in the US. The answers you've received so far leave out one vital piece of information: lapse period between coverages aside, the answer to your question depends ENTIRELY on how long your wife was covered under a group-based plan. If she has been covered for AT LEAST 18 months by her current (and/or any previous group-based health insurer, with a lapse in between of no more than 63 days) she can apply this as a "credit" against your new employer's plan. Shortly after your current coverage lapses, your insurer must mail you a "Certificate of Creditable Coverage." This will list how long she was covered. The Certificate must be given to the new insurer so it can credit her past coverage against the new pre-existing condition exclusionary period (if any). Examples: 1) Your wife was covered for 20 months under your current plan; her insurance through your new employer is effective immediately and has a pre-existing condition exclusionary period of 12 months. After receipt of the Certificate of Creditable Coverage, your wife will NOT be subject to a pre-existing condition exclusion. 2) Your wife was covered for 9 months and has no previous creditable coverage. If the plan has a 12-month pre-existing condition exclusionary period, services incurred after her 3rd month of coverage will be covered. 3) Your wife was covered 9 months under the current plan and 5 years under a previous plan; there was a period of 30 days between the two coverages. Upon receipt of both Certificates, she will have no pre-existing condition exclusionary period. This is a fairly complex law and I've only been able to summarize. For further information, go here: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/portability.htm
5 :
There is a great way to be covered in the interim very inexpensively. www.mybenefitsplus.com/ewarner. They accept all pre existing conditions no questions asked

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Friday, April 4, 2008

Can I refuse treatment for cancer? Will do the doctors make me comfortable until I die

Can I refuse treatment for cancer? Will do the doctors make me comfortable until I die?

Cancer - 9 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
all you have to do is drink soya milk and miso soup. the soya bean reduce the harmful cancer risk.
2 :
I believe you can refuse treatment but would be very unwise to do so. Also I am not 100% sure but I believe depending on your insurance and the hospital, they will look after for a short period of time. But if you refuse treatment then there is nothing they can do about it, and will probably release you from the hospital.
3 :
You have all the right to refuse the cancer treatment they offer you because if you ask the doctor to assure you that the treatment is going to make you all better and without any dangerous side effects, he/she will not be able to do so, therefore on this grounds you can refuse their treatment and they have the obligation to provide you with the medications to make your life more comfortable. Any way I have read many times that cancer patients that receive no treatment at all live longer than those that do. You never know you might get better on your own, our bodies are a wonderful creation able to heal itself all you have to do is give it what it needs to do it. Search the net, there are hundreds of people that have helped their bodies heal by detoxing and giving it nutrient rich foods. I give you here a few links to check http://www.gerson.org/ http://www.shanti.com.au/cleanses/gerson.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMdktdaReOw http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/RawFood.html God bless
4 :
YEs you have the right to refuse any treatment you want. yes the docters can keep you comfortable til you die. they will prob put you on hospice & hospice will give you pain meds & take care of your basic meds. however, if you try to refuse treatment for a child with cancer that has high survival rate...dctrs can take u to court..take custody away. So if you are an adult you can make any choice you want for your own body. \
5 :
You can if you want to. I would weigh all the options such as surgery, chemo, radiation, laser, ect and make an educated decision before you commit to your final decision. Usually when someone is not treatable and is terminal, the doctor will prescribe hospice. Hospice is a care center or ppl that come to your home that stay with you and help you and your family get through this rough time. They talk to you about dying and help your family prepare, plus they keep you painfree until the end. They will do everything possible to keep you comfortable. But before you decide, make sure you check all options out because cures come in strange places, and there are alot of new clinical trials and cures out there.
6 :
Yes you can refuse treatment. Think carefully before you decide. I've had Colon cancer and if I should get it again, I will refuse Chemo therapy. Although I am cured from the cancer so far, the Chemo I was given has made my life worthless. I have lost all my strength, cant sleep, my fingers and best part of my feet are numb etc etc. They have done all the tests available to find the reason for these symptoms but have come up with Nil. I know it was the Chemo without a doubt, because after the Operation and before the Chemo started I was very well. Remarkably so. Not too bad at the start of the Chemo treatment, but after the 8th I woke up the next morning and felt half dead and that was a year ago. So coming back to your question I personally would refuse treatment again in my case. But in your case it would depend on what type of cancer, how far it has gone, your age, your family etc. but if you are sure yourself you have the right to say no to all treatment. The doctors have sworn to treat people so I am not sure what they would do, if you refuse, but I am certain they would make the rest of your life as comfortable as possible. It also depends where you live. Wherever you are be brave and God bless.
7 :
Titch, be patient. Sometimes it can take a couple of years to recover from the long-term side effects of chemo. My onco. nurse warned me of this. She said it could be 2-3 years. Meanwhile, to me, it is worth being alive to experience the discomfort. Because along with some discomfort, there is the joy of living each day, laughter, love, good chocolate, friends, and electronic gadgets. No electronic gadgets when you're dead.
8 :
You always have the right to refuse treatment if you are over 18 (an adult). A parent may be guilty of child neglect if they refuse and the doctors believe the treatment will save the life of the child, but an adult is presumed to be able to make his or her own decisions. You can ask for medication that will ease any pain without receiving chemo or radiation.
9 :
If you are of legal age, you certainly can refuse cancer treatment. The question remains..WHY WOULD YOU? If caught in the very early stages, there's a very high chance that you can beat the cancer. If you are diagnosed with terminal cancer (detected, but it's too far advanced to really do anything) then most certainly Drs. would do whatever they could to make you comfortable.

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Tuesday, April 1, 2008

can cancer cells die without treatment &can i know if i (had) cancer

can cancer cells die without treatment &can i know if i (had) cancer ?
can cancer cells die without treatment &can i know if i (had) cancer and gone or something ? i'm asking this question because i got a high uric acid level it was acute i didnt feel any symptom (joint pain or sometthing) i went for lipid profile and some friend told me to go for uric acid check.... plzz answer :) i think that i had cancer cuz i know that when cancer cells die , this will lead to rapid increase in uric acid level and ppl on chemotherapy take medication for the increase in uric acid
Cancer - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
only through divine intervention. why doyou think you had cancer?
2 :
Actually, you can get high uric acid levels when any kind of cells die...
3 :
I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THEM DYING ON THERE OWN , BUT COULD HAPPEN

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