A Landmark Study on Palliation of Bone Mets PainWhen a primary cancer such as cancer of the breast, prostate or lung spreads to the bone (bone mets), treatment strategies become complex. In today’s world of oncology, better systemic chemotherapies can add months and even years to a patient’s life; in addition, local cancer control of […] KEEP READING
What You Should Know About CartilageOne of the most fascinating components of the human body is cartilage, an incredibly versatile material. Trying to describe cartilage is like the six blind men who try to figure out what an elephant is: “The elephant is like a pillar,” said the man who touched his leg. “Oh no! […] KEEP READING
How Stress Makes Essential Tremor WorseEssential tremor (ET) is the most common form of uncontrollable rhythmic shaking, though it is sometimes misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. The involuntary trembling results from abnormal communication between certain areas of the brain (cerebellum, thalamus, and brain stem). It is estimated that 10 million Americans suffer from ET, though many […] KEEP READING
“De novo” Stage IV breast cancer diagnosis Roughly 6-10% of women initially diagnosed with breast cancer (BCa) are found to have Stage IV disease. This means that the cancer has already spread to distant sites, e.g. bone or liver. This is called de novo Stage IV breast cancer. “De novo,” a Latin term, literally means […] CONTINUE
“Even fictional characters sometimes receive unwarranted medical opinions. Doctors have diagnosed Ebenezer Scrooge with OCD, Sherlock Holmes with autism, and Darth Vader with borderline personality disorder.” – Sam Kean Diagnosis means identifying what is behind a person’s symptoms. The word diagnosis goes back to ancient Greece. The prefix dia means “apart” and the root […] CONTINUE
How breast cancer spreads A diagnosis of breast cancer starts a chain of research, further tests, and anxiety. Although mortality rates have gradually been dropping, an understandable worry is the fear of the disease having spread microscopically at the time of diagnosis. Thankfully, screening programs work, and most breast cancer is detected early when it […] CONTINUE
Prostate cancer bone metastasis In the U.S., prostate cancer (PCa) is the third leading cause of cancer death among men. It is estimated that about 1 out of 8 men will be diagnosed with PCa, and nearly one in 40 will die from it. If left untreated, prostate cancer tumors will grow, become more aggressive, […] CONTINUE
What is melanoma? Melanoma is a skin cancer, though it also rarely arises in other locations such as the eyes. Of the three types of skin cancer (basal cell, squamous cell, melanoma), melanoma is the most aggressive and deadly even though it accounts for only 3-5% of skin cancers. It is possible to lower the […] CONTINUE
Ovarian cancer According to the American Cancer Society, a woman’s chances of developing ovarian cancer are about 1 in 75. However, of all the reproductive organ cancers in women, it is the most feared as a “silent killer.” This is because it usually has no symptoms until it has begun to spread. Most commonly, the […] CONTINUE
Uterine Cancer – What is it? Uterine cancer is cancer that begins in a woman’s uterus (womb), which is part of the female reproductive system. The pear-shaped uterus is composed of two main layers, the endometrium (lining) and the myometrium (thick layer of muscle needed to push the baby out at birth). Almost all uterine […] CONTINUE
In 1974, First Lady Betty Ford announced that she had a mastectomy, she joined a handful of prominent women who were breaking the breast cancer silence barrier. Before that, breast cancer (BCa) and mastectomy were whispered about behind closed doors. Now, countless women got on board with life-saving early detection (breast self-exams, mammograms). Celebrities who […] CONTINUE
While the term head and neck cancers refers to a group of cancers located in or above the neck, each type has a separate name based on its location: Nasopharyngeal cancer (starts in the upper part of the throat behind the nose) Hypopharyngeal cancer (starts in the lower part of the throat) Laryngeal cancer (most […] CONTINUE
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and women, behind prostate and breast cancer. However, lung cancer is more feared because it is more deadly. As lung cancer tumors develop, tumor cells can spread beyond the lungs. If these cells establish a new tumor in bone, it is called metastatic lung cancer […] CONTINUE
