Breast cancer is an incredibly common type of disease that impacts the lives of thousands of patients each year. Statistics say that 1 in 8 women will have breast cancer in their lifetime, but it's important to remember that breast cancer does not only impact women. In fact, 1 in 833 men will also receive a breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
If you’ve just received the results of a prostate pathology report from your doctor, you may have questions that you didn’t think about when you first spoke with your doctor. While you can certainly always check back with your doctor for more clarification, we’ll walk you through the information that is included in a prostate pathology report.
The FDA recently approved a new colonoscopy prep tablet that may make it easier for patients as they prepare for this colorectal cancer screening procedure. Until now, patients had to drink a gallon of a bad-tasting liquid to clean out the colon before the test, allowing doctors to complete a thorough evaluation. If you know anybody who has prepared for a colonoscopy, they likely remember this drink very well. Unfortunately, about one-third of patients usually don't drink all of the liquid prep, which means doctors may not have the best view during the screening.
Whether you’re just starting your chemotherapy treatments or you’ve been doing it for a while, we know that sometimes small things can make a big difference as you work through your cancer treatments. Most cancer treatment centers, like Compass Oncology, are designed with cancer patients in mind. However, creating your very own chemo care kit with personalized comforts can give you some hope and peace of mind. This simple collection of comfort items can go a long way toward giving you peace of mind and offering additional support throughout the treatment process.
For many men with prostate cancer, prostate removal is never needed because the cancer is often slow-growing and managed with non-surgical treatments. But, if the cancer has grown beyond the prostate, the oncologist may recommend prostate removal surgery, also called a prostatectomy. If you are going to have prostate removal surgery, this information can help you in your discussion with the doctors.
You may know that colon polyps can lead to colon cancer, but you may not know what causes colon polyps. The answers may surprise you.
Colon polyps are small clumps of cells that can form on the lining of the lower intestine, or colon. Polyps can occur in several locations throughout your gastrointestinal tract, but they most commonly occur in your colon. Polyps can also develop in the last part of the colon, known as the rectum. Doctors often refer to conditions occurring in the colon and rectum together, using the term “colorectal.”
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that is almost always preventable. Yet, many women don't know that their actions can dramatically reduce their risk of developing this form of gynecologic cancer. The number of women developing cervical cancer has decreased by almost 50% since the 1970s. Increased utilization of the Pap test to detect pre-cancerous cells or early-stage cervical cancer is the major reason for this decline in the United States.
HPV, otherwise known as the human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted infection that should not be confused with HIV or HSV (herpes). There are currently nearly 80 million people in the United States alone who are living with HPV, many of whom are in their teens and early twenties.
While there are about 30 different types that affect the genitals, including the vagina, penis, vulva, cervix, and scrotum, there are another 70 additional forms of HPV that can affect other areas of the body. Of the approximate 100 different types of HPV, infectious disease doctors consider 14 of them to be “high risk” which can lead to cervical or gynecologic cancers.
Night sweats are common side effects that both cancer survivors and patients, alike, often face. Radiation therapies, certain prescription medications, and some cancer-related surgeries can even worsen the frequency and intensity of a patient's night sweats. Waking up in the middle of the night with wet bedsheets and pajamas is never ideal, but there are ways to manage night sweats.
Many women experience a phone call from their breast imaging center. The call often concerns the patient coming back for additional imaging of tiny white spots called calcifications. Calcifications are frequently seen on mammograms — they occur most often in women over 50. They may appear in any woman's breasts and, occasionally, occur in a man's breast tissue.
Most breast calcifications are benign (non-cancerous). However, a few patterns of calcification are suggestive of some precancerous conditions or, even, breast cancer.
