What cancer treatment options are out there?

There are many different treatment options to choose from for someone with cancer:

One of the most popular treatments is that of chemotherapy. This therapy is a drug that can be very intense because not only does it kill your cancer cells, it kills many other cells of your body as well. It is a proven treatment that can work, though your body often becomes very weak and frail from the treatment.

Radiation therapy kills cells that are rapidly dividing (cancer cells), but also kills normal, healthy cells. That is why you have side effects from radiation. This treatment is very similar in effect to chemotherapy.

Immunotherapy is a relatively new treatment option and has been found to work best when coupled with other treatments. It helps the body by stimulating the immune system. Researchers believe that it specifically stops or slows down the growth of cancer cells.

Finally, many people have surgery to have their cancer removed. There are also less-used treatments such as gene therapy, photodynamic therapy, and others that are newer and less proven, but in the future may prove effective in treating cancer.

When deciding on a treatment option, it is important to do your research and consult your doctor. There are many treatments out there, but not all are effective or safe. Make sure that the treatment you decide to use is backed by clinical trials. Those are the treatments that are the safest and will give you the best chance for success.

It’s comforting to know there are so many options to choose from to treat cancer and new treatments are being developed every day.

Breast Cancer Cells

 

Bone Marrow Transplant-one way to give

In response to the comment from sarahtop from the post “A glance at its impact” , here’s some information about bone marrow donations and transplants. Anyone between the age of 18 to 60 can donate their bone marrow if they choose. You’ll need to join the National Marrow Donor Program Registry first. You will have to go through a process of a few tests and physicals before you are selected to donate your marrow to someone. When you donate you will undergo minor surgery while doctors will take stem cells from your blood or bone marrow out of the back of your pelvic bones. For more in-depth info on the process, go to http://www.mamashealth.com/organs/bonemarrowdonor.asp.

The risks of this procedure are few. Before you donate, you are asked to give blood just in case you need a blood transfusion after the surgery. You may also be asked to take medication through the donation process so that doctors can obtain more stem cells out of your blood. This medication may cause some headaches, nausea, among other things. After the surgery you may experience some light-headedness or soreness in your back, but you should be able to get back to normal activities soon after. Overall, the risks are low and the benefits are huge for those people who are in need of your donation!

Now, what will your bone marrow donation do? It will donate healthy stem cells to an unhealthy person’s blood to replace the unhealthy cells and treat or maybe cure their disease.  The stem cells will be taken up into the bone and will produce and grow new healthy cells for the person.

For more general information on these transplants and to get started check out http://www.marrow.org/.

 

UK’s Research push better than the US?

Whether you believe it or not, the Cancer Research UK has a much better advertizing program than anything that I’ve seen in from any US organization. As I’ve looked online for videos about cancer, almost all of the most heart-renching advertisements, the ones that make you want to jump out of your seat and run to help the cause, come from the Cancer Research UK organization. Posted here are some of the best:

You just don’t see this kind of publicity in the United States for cancer research. These advertisements are placed on television and are making people more aware of what they can do to help the cause of cancer. I’ve never seen something like this in the United States. Most of what I’ve seen about donating to cancer research I’ve had to go searching for. I am very impressed with what the people in the Cancer Research UK are trying to do to promote their cause and I think it’s probably much more effective than many of the groups in the United States. Way to go Cancer Research UK!

You can also look up more of their ads on YouTube to be further inspired.

 

Cancer Signs and Symptoms

The American Cancer Society has posted a list of signs and symptoms of cancer and the following are the most general and significant:

• Unexplained weight loss    
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Pain
• Skin changes: such as yellowish or reddened skin, excessive hair growth, itching, or skin darkening.

It’s good to remember with this that just because you have these symptoms, does not mean that you have cancer. It could be a number of things, but it’s good to be cautious. The ACS has also put out a list of symptoms specific to each cancer.

Also, if you are concerned that you may have cancer, here’s an excellent website that give more information about screening, tests, and diagnosis: http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec15/ch181/ch181c.html.

 

To Reduce the Risk

AICR recommendations for reducing the risk of cancer:

1. Body fat: be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight
2. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes daily
3. Avoid sugary drinks and energy-dense foods.
4. Eat mostly foods of plant origin
5. Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat
6. Limit alcohol
7. Limit consumption of salt and foods processed with salt
8. Aim to meet nutrient needs through diet alone (get all your nutrients from your diet instead of supplements)
9. New mothers should breastfeed for up to six months after birth.
10. After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.

Though these tips will not guarantee that you will not get cancer, they can greatly reduce the risk, especially in cancers that have known causes and more concrete risk factors. Also, following these guidelines will also keep your body healthy, so all around, I think following these tips is a wonderful idea.

Mayo Clinic also has their own list of things that may prevent your chances of getting cancer: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-prevention/CA00024.

 

Personal Reflections on Cancer

My good friend, Stefanie has graciously shared with me her experience as her mother died of cancer. Her mother, Laurie, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when Stefanie was 15. After about 9 months of suffering through chemo and all that comes with that, her body succumbed to the disease. Through all of it her mother and father were very positive about the experience, not making a big deal out of it, which Stefanie said helped her to ease the pain of what was going on. These are the type of experiences that inspire me. People who think of others before themselves as they themselves are facing tough situations.

Now, this is one of the unfortunate tales of cancer, but as I listened to Stefanie talk of her experiences, I see that many good things came out of the experience. She told me how much closer her family is now, and that through the whole experience her family all felt the peace that everything was going to be okay. Though it didn’t work out the way her family had hoped, she says that her dad is now remarried and her stepmom is wonderful. She’s so grateful for all that she has. In every situation we should learn to be grateful. So many blessings come out of situations such as this, though there is much sorrow.

(Thanks Stef for opening up to me and being willing to share this personal experience with me.)

For more touching experiences check out my tab called ‘Inspiring Stories’ .

There are so many inspiring stories recorded elsewhere on the internet. Here’s one website that I found with many stories to inspire your journey: http://cancerguide.org/stories.html.

 

A glance at its impact…

According to the American Cancer Society (Cancer Facts and Figures 2009) an estimated 1,479,370 people were diagnosed with cancer and 562, 340 were expected to die from cancer in the year 2009. It’s humbling to realize how many lives were affected just last year and how many more are being affected each day. And this is not just something that will affect only the person that has cancer, it affects everyone and anyone connected to them.

Let’s all think about the people in our lives. I would bet that we all know someone who has cancer or who has been personally affected by cancer in their family or close group of friends. I know that there are a few people who come to my mind. This is huge, guys! The second leading cause of death in the U.S.!

These sobering facts make my heart ache to reach out to these people. We can all do just that–Reach out to the people around you that you that are and have been affected. Help them carry their load by being a better neighbor, friend, son, daughter, etc.  Become aware of the effect that cancer is having around you and do what you can do to elevate that pain from those around you. Small acts of kindness have great effects.

The National Cancer Institute has a webpage with ways to better help others learn to deal with this struggle. See http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/takingtime. You can also check out what the American Cancer Society suggests.

 

Give back- Rex Lee Run!

For those of you that live within Utah County, every spring there is a great opportunity to give what you can to help the cause of cancer. On March 13 at 9 am Brigham Young University is putting on the Rex Lee Run to help raise awareness for cancer and also to give people the opportunity to give to the cancer fight. There are two runs, a 5K ($15) and a 10K ($20) race. The races both begin around 9 am that morning. Named after a former president of BYU that died of cancer, the Rex Lee Run promotes both healthy lifestyles and supports those of us who have cancer or know someone with cancer. 

Runners can donate to the cause and honor someone who is (or has) battling cancer by wearing a “Courage in the War Against Cancer” certificate .  It’s really just an awesome opportunity to donate your time, your energy, your passion, and your money to help cancer research and awareness. This is the first year that I am going to be able to do it and I can’t wait! I know it seems like something so little, but really, with more and more people coming together, we really can further the cause so much!

For those of you sold on this incredible chance, you can go to http://rexleerun.byu.edu to sign up today. You can sign up until the morning of the race, so please do it if you can! When the race is over, you can also check out the results.

For those of you worried about the running aspect of the race, remember…

“Failure is success if you learn from it.” -Malcom Forbes. 🙂

 

Bald is Beautiful-seeing the good

This is truly a great way to live your life and an incredibly beautiful way to view your cancer experience. I love this website! Sharon Blynn gives a different take on the cancer journey. She says that she sees “so much Strength, Dignity, and Grace in the cancer journey; so much Beauty, Joy, and Light…” and she’s out there to tell everyone she can about it.

It’s http://www.baldisbeautiful.org

If nothing else, check out this website just to be inspired by this incredible lady. What strength she has to notice the good in her life in spite of all her sorrows! Also, check out the video posted under the tab “Videos” entitled “Ovarian Cancer: Sharon Blynn.”

I can not tell you how much I am inspired by these cancer stories. Maybe it’s just me, but I find myself weeping every time I start to do more on this blog. What an inspiration all of you with cancer are to me. Thank you, really. You are changing me.

 

World Cancer Day- Take Control

Every year on February 4 the World Health Organization (WHO) along with the International Union Against Cancer “celebrate” World Cancer Day by promoting ways to decrease cancer burdens in the world.

This year- 2010- their focus is promoting these four things:

1. No tobacco use
2. A healthy diet and regular exercise
3. Limited alcohol use
4. Protect against cancer causing infections

For those of us that do not have cancer now, living a healthy life may reduce the risk of cancer. We’ve all heard this, but what are we doing about it?

One way that you can start living healthier is to figure out what your personal diet recommendations are. Go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx and you can discover this very easily.

This year I’ve made a goal to eat better and exercise on a regular basis and I can’t tell you how much better I feel! I know it doesn’t sound like it could be right, but by exercising every day I have more energy than I did just a couple months ago. It also elevates my mood and I feel so much happier throughout the day because of it. It is an awesome use of your time, so for those of you who aren’t exercising regularly, get to it! Even just 20 minutes a day makes a huge difference!