Health related information and news from around the world. » Cancer

TYPE OF CANCER – CONCLUSION

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:32:56 +0000

Going back to external radiation, the exact type of cancer as determined by examination of a sample under the microscope is also important in determining the dose that would probably be needed and the chance that this would produce a cure. One reason is that some types of cancer are more sensitive to radiation than others. For example, a type which typically has a large proportion of actively dividing cells will be more sensitive than one with many dormant cells. The other reason is that some types of cancer are much more likely to spread through the bloodstream than others. Because radiation is a local form of treatment, it has less chance of curing cancers which tend to spread very early in the course of the disease.

As with every form of treatment which aims for cure, it is many years before you can be sure that treatment was completely successful. The initial aim is to achieve a complete remission, because of course only complete remissions can eventually prove to be complete cures. I have explained that an irradiated cancer can keep shrinking for some months after completion of treatment. This means that you may have to wait before even being sure that you are in complete remission. Ask your doctor how long you must wait before you can be fairly confident that recurrence will not occur. The time is different for different types of cancer.

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Cancer

TYPE OF CANCER – RADIOTHERAPEUTIC METHOD

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:31:59 +0000

Certain types of thyroid cancer (well differentiated papillary and follicular types) can be cured by a unique radiotherapeutic method, even when they have spread through the bloodstream. It is not even necessary to know where the secondary deposits are! How is this done? The method relies on the fact that well differentiated thyroid cancers have not lost the ability to concentrate iodine in their cells. Normal thyroid tissue takes iodine out of the blood in order to make thyroid hormone. Although they can’t make thyroid hormone with it, the above-named well differentiated types of thyroid cancer also extract iodine from the blood. This ability is exploited by giving the patient a radioactive form of iodine. Provided all of the normal thyroid gland has been removed or destroyed by a previous dose of radioactive iodine, the radioactive iodine concentrates in the cancer cells. They therefore receive a very high dose of radiation, which has a very good chance of destroying them completely. The rest of the body receives very little radiation, so the side effects of this treatment are mild. There have been many attempts to find radioactive substances which would be concentrated in other types of cancer cells, so far with no real success.

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Cancer

PRESSURE SORES (BED SORES) – GENERAL INFORMATION

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:56:17 +0000

They will not develop if you change your position often, keep dry, put some sort of padding over these danger points and get someone to massage them briskly, often. All of that is easier said than done. It is not much fun to change your position often if you are in pain and especially if there is only one position that is really comfortable for you. It is hard to change position often if you are partly paralysed or so weak that you can’t do it without help. It is hard to keep dry if you are incontinent. It can be fiddly to try to arrange padding over your danger points. You might feel reluctant to ask busy nurses, friends, or relatives to spend time helping you to change position and rubbing any sore areas to help restore a brisk circulation. However, it is worth taking all of this seriously. Things are likely to be even more difficult for you if you do develop a pressure sore, because then you won’t be able to sit or lie in the position that produced your sore at all!

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BREAST LUMPS: AFTER OPERATION ON REMOVAL LUMPS FROM BREAST

admin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:32:05 +0000

Painkillers

A local anesthetic may have been injected, as a nerve block or into the wound during your operation, to reduce the pain as you regain consciousness. Its effects should last for about 6 to 8 hours. After this, and while you are still in hospital, you will be able to have pain-killing tablets or injections if necessary. Do ask for these injections if you need them, although following lumpectomies at least, regular oral analgesic tablets such as aspirin, paracetamol or Nurofen will probably be enough. Make sure you have some of these tablets at home for the next few days. Painkillers should be taken regularly (every 4 to 6 hours, or as indicated on their container) so that their effect does not wear off before you take the next dose. A dose as you go to bed may help relieve any discomfort and allow you to get a good night’s sleep.

If you have had auxiliary lymph glands removed, your armpit may be sore for a few days, and possibly numb for several weeks or months.

Getting out of bed

Effective pain control enables you to get out of bed and to move around with ease soon after your operation. Movement and exercise are important to avoid deep vein thrombosis and to keep your bladder and lungs working properly.

You should be able to get up and walk about as soon as the anesthetic effects wear off. Once you are fully mobile, you will be able to remove your anti-embolism stockings if you have been wearing them.

Bra padding

Before you leave hospital, you will be fitted with,-a temporary pad to put in your bra if you have lost a part or the whole of your breast. The pad will give some shape to your affected breast, and will also help to protect your wound. It can be worn at night if desired. Once the wound has healed, a more permanent prosthesis will be fitted if you want one.

Shoulder movement

While in hospital, you will only have limited shoulder movement until any drains have been removed, after which your range of shoulder movements should gradually return to normal within 2 to 4 weeks with gentle exercising. You may be visited by a physiotherapist on the day after your operation so that your degree of shoulder movement can be assessed. You will also be advised about exercises to help you regain the normal range of movement of the arm and shoulder on your affected side, and may be given a leaflet explaining how to do them.

There are some very simple exercises you can do while still in hospital to help to relieve some of the stiffness in your arm and shoulder, for example using your good arm to assist your affected arm with upward and sideways movements, and trying to brush your hair with your elbow resting on a table. Once you are at home again, you should try to exercise your arm and shoulder while carrying out your normal daily routine, for example while dusting and doing light housework.

Although the muscles in the chest wall are now not usually removed during a mastectomy unless absolutely necessary, they can become weakened by under-use after this operation, and exercises to help regain muscle strength are also important.

Discomfort following a mastectomy may also cause you to change your posture, for example by leaning towards the side of discomfort or bending forward. You should try to be aware of this tendency and avoid it if possible as good posture is important so that back pain does not become a problem.

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