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CURE OF CANCER BY COMBINATIONS OF TREATMENT WHICH INCLUDE RADIATION – PLANNING TREATMENT

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:56:59 +0000

There are some cancers which are so likely to spread through the bloodstream that it is best to take it for granted that they already have when planning treatment. Combinations of chemotherapy with surgery and/or radiation have a higher chance of curing these types of cancer than any one treatment on its own. These cancers include acute leukaemias, rhabdomyosarcoma (cancer of muscle), Ewing’s sarcoma (a cancer of bone), Wilm’s tumour (a kidney cancer), and small cell anaplastic cancer of the lung. Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for these types of cancer, because it travels through the blood and gets to nearly every part of the body. However, if local forms of treatment-surgery and radiation—are directed to the areas where cancer cells are most likely to escape being killed by the chemotherapy drugs, the cure rate is higher than if chemotherapy is used on its own.

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Cancer

CURE OF CANCER BY COMBINATIONS OF TREATMENT WHICH INCLUDE RADIATION – DESCRIPTION

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:55:09 +0000

Radiation can be combined with other forms of treatment to produce cure rates which are greater than when any one treatment is used on its own. The radiation may be to the primary site or to likely or definite secondary sites. Ependymoma, and low grade astrocytoma are examples of cancers which are more likely to be cured by a combination of surgery and radiation, both to the primary site, than by either [ surgery or radiation alone. These two examples are both brain cancers which, because of their location, are difficult to remove completely. Radiation given after surgery increases the cure rate by killing any cells which have not been removed. As we will see in the next section, pre- or post-operative radiation to the primary site usually makes a difference only to the chance of local recurrence and not to the chance of complete cure. These cancers are I exceptions to this rule because they rarely spread outside of the central nervous system. Effective local treatment therefore has a good chance of curing them completely. Some cancers which have spread can be cured by removing the primary cancer surgically and irradiating the secondary deposits. The main examples are seminoma (a type of testicular cancer) and dysgerminoma (a rare type of ovarian cancer). The primary cancer is removed mainly in order to make a definite and exact diagnosis. These types of cancer are so sensitive to radiation that even quite large secondary deposits can be destroyed completely К using safe doses of radiation. These cancers are also very sensitive to chemotherapy treatment. The chance of cure is greater with chemotherapy than with radiation if the disease is very extensive. However, chemotherapy has more side effects. If you have one of these types of cancer you will have to find out what figures apply in your particular case and exactly what each treatment would involve in order to make the best decision for you.

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Cancer

CANCER – AGITATION AND RESTLESSNESS; PRESSURE SORES (BED SORES)

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:56:31 +0000

Extreme agitation and restlessness are not always due to nervous tension. These symptoms can be caused by certain drugs — antinausea drugs, some sedatives, some cough mixtures and medicines designed to dry up phlegm, and corticosteroids. So, if you get these symptoms, especially if they start quite suddenly, ask your doctor to check through your medicines for any that could be causing it. The culprit will usually be one you have just started taking.

This is another area where nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists are likely to be of very much more practical help than doctors. If you actually already have developed, or do develop, a pressure sore, you will certainly need this help to get it healed. But don’t leave it until then to ask for advice. If you can’t move around freely and easily, ask these people for help with choosing and getting into good positions, with ways to keep dry, with easy to manage ways of padding your danger points and with ideas of what to rub on any sore spots. You are unlikely to develop any pressure sores if you follow their advice.

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BREAST LUMPS: GOING HOME AFTER OPERATION

admin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:32:14 +0000

Some time after your operation you will be visited on the ward by a hospital doctor to check that all is well.

Before you are discharged from hospital, the nursing staff will need to be sure that you will be able to manage. If you do not have help at home, and you are concerned about managing on your own, do tell one of the nurses before your operation so that some arrangement can be made for you. For some people, such as students who are returning alone to student accommodation, or elderly women who live on their own, a longer stay in hospital may be necessary until they are better able to cope.

By the time you are discharged from hospital you should have only slight pain or discomfort, your wound will be healing, and any drains will have been removed.

Driving

You should not drive yourself home after your operation, and should probably avoid driving for at least 2 weeks. Your car insurance is likely to be invalid for at least 48 hours after a general anesthetic: you may feel all right, but your reactions in an emergency would be slower than normal.

Even if you have not had a general anesthetic, do not drive until you are sure you can make an emergency stop without being hindered by pain from your wound. If you are in any doubt, your GP will be able to advise you about this.

Discharge letter

Before you leave hospital you will be given a letter to take to your GP’s surgery. This will contain a report of the operation and anything your GP may need to know about your treatment, and should be delivered as soon as possible – on your way home from hospital if this is feasible. The letter may be posted to your GP if you leave hospital before it has been written.

Follow-up clinic visits

Before you leave the hospital, nursing staff will arrange your next clinic visit – within a week or two of your operation. Time will be allowed for the results to be received from the examination of your breast tissue which always follows an operation on the breast.

If the stitches in your wound are non-absorbable, these will either be removed at the clinic visit or, if nursing staff think your wound will have healed sufficiently beforehand, you will be asked to make an appointment at your health centre or GP’s surgery so that they can be removed there.

Although the anxiety you and your family will feel while you await this next visit to the clinic is well understood by the nursing and medical staff, they must be sure that the results from the laboratory will have been received first.

Visit from the breast care nurse

If your hospital has a specialist breast care nurse, she will visit you on the ward before you leave. Do tell her if you are concerned about anything, or if there is anything you do not understand. She may be able to arrange a date to visit you at home if you would like her to do so, and will probably continue to see you as often as necessary, either at home or in her clinic.

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