This is a group for cancer survivors to share their stories....and to know that you are not alone.
This group is also for friends and loved ones to share their stories of how they have been effected.
This group page is dedicated to My friends and Family who have survived cancer.
Ms.Erin Linton
Stewart
Mrs. Mathew Budsko
CANCER
Cancer is a group of diseases in which cells in the body grow, change, and multiply out of control. Usually, cancer is named after the body part in which it originated.
BREAST CANCER
The erratic growth and proliferation of cells that originate in the breast tissue. A group of rapidly dividing cells may form a lump or mass of extra tissue. These masses are called tumors. Tumors can either be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign). Malignant tumors penetrate and destroy healthy body tissues. A group of cells within a tumor may also break away and spread to other parts of the body. Cells that spread from one region of the body into another are called metastases.
The term, breast cancer, refers to a malignant tumor that has developed from cells in the breast. The breast is composed of two main types of tissues: glandular tissues and stromal (supporting) tissues. Glandular tissues house the milk-producing glands (lobules) and the ducts (the milk passages) while stromal tissues include fatty and fibrous connective tissues of the breast. The breast is also made up of lymphatic tissue-immune system tissue that removes cellular fluids and waste.
There are several types of tumors that may develop within different areas of the breast. Most tumors are the result of benign (non-cancerous) changes within the breast. For example, fibrocystic change is a non-cancerous condition in which women develop cysts (accumulated packets of fluid), fibrosis (formation of scar-like connective tissue), lumpiness, areas of thickening, tenderness, or breast pain.
The American Cancer Society estimates that each year nearly 175,000 American women and 1300 American MEN will be diagnosed with breast cancer. 43,300 women and 400 men will die from breast cancer this year. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women between 40 and 55 years of age and is the second overall cause of death among women (exceeded only by lung cancer). Fortunately, the mortality rate from breast cancer has decreased in recent years with an increased emphasis on early detection and more effective treatments.
Mrs. Mathew Budsko is a breast cancer survivor
HODGKIN's
Hodgkin's disease, sometimes called Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a cancer that starts in lymphatic tissue. Lymphatic tissue includes the lymph nodes and related organs that are part of the body's immune and blood-forming systems. The lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs found underneath the skin in the neck, underarm, and groin. They are also found in many other places in the body such as inside the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
Lymph nodes make and store infection-fighting white blood cells, called lymphocytes. They are connected throughout the body by lymph vessels (narrow tubes similar to blood vessels). These lymph vessels carry a colorless, watery fluid (lymphatic fluid) that contains lymphocytes. Eventually the lymphatic fluid is emptied into the blood vessels in the left upper chest.
Often the one who makes the first diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma / Disease is the person affected. There are some symptoms for Hodgkin's but they are not specific. Often a lymph node swells, especially in the upper body area. Other times one feels they have a lack of energy. More serious symptoms can include weight loss, fever, and drenching night sweats. Some people have itching and others a lower back pain that is unexplained (lower back pain may be caused by growing lymph nodes pressing on nerves). In occasional cases the involved nodes are painful after alcohol consumption. Finally, a good percentage of diagnoses are made when receiving normal examinations such as annual physicals or pregnancy check-ups. It often seems the diagnosis comes as a surprise and a shock.
Making the Diagnosis:
Hodgkin's is medically diagnosed by taking a tissue sample (biopsy) and searching for the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells, a cell specific to Hodgkin's lymphoma. A needle biopsy is sometimes used but a surgical biopsy, removal of a whole lymph node, is often preferred in getting enough tissue for a definite diagnosis.
Ms. Erin Linton is a Hodgkins survivor
COLON CANCER
The colon and rectum are part of the large intestine (large bowel). Colon and rectum cancers, which are referred to as colorectal cancer, arise from the lining of the large intestine. These are slow-growing cancers that usually take years to develop. In the United States, preventive screening and early intervention have improved survival outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer.
Mr. Stewart Smith is a colon Cancer survivor.
CLICK HERE FOR CANCER INFO
GUIDE TO SELF BREAST EXAM
Breast Exam Guide Link CLICK HERE!
GUIDE TO SELF TESTI EXAM
Testicular Exam Guide Link CLICK HERE!
RELAY FOR LIFE 2006 : WHEN? WHERE? HOW?
RELAY FOR LIFE 2006 CLICK HERE!
ATTENTION!!!! ALL WOMEN!!!!
A new kind of Breast Cancer
Please forward to all of the women in your lives -- Mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, friends, etc.
In November, a rare kind of breast cancer was found. A lady developed a rash on her breast, similar to that of young mothers who are nursing.
Because her mammogram had been clear, the doctor treated her with antibiotics for infections. After 2 rounds, it continued to get worse, so her doctor sent her for another mammogram. This time it showed a mass.
A biopsy found a fast growing malignancy. Chemo was started in order to shrink the growth; then a mastectomy was performed; then a full round of Chemo; then radiation. After about 9 months of intense treatment, she was given a clean bill of health.
She had one year of living each day to its fullest! Then the cancer returned to the liver area. She took 4 treatments and decided that she wanted quality of life, not the after effects of Chemo. She had 5 great months and she planned each detail of the final days. After a few days of needing morphine, she died. She left this message to be delivered to women everywhere.
Women, PLEASE be alert to anything that is not normal, and be persistent in getting help as soon as possible.
Paget's Disease: This is a rare form of breast cancer, and is on the outside of the breast, on the nipple and aureole. It appeared as a rash, which later became a lesion with a crusty outer edge. I would not have ever suspected it to be breast cancer but it was. My nipple never seemed any different to me, but the rash bothered me, so I went to the doctor for that. Sometimes, it itched and was sore, but other than that it didn't bother me. It was just ugly and a nuisance, and could not be cleared up with all the creams prescribed by my doctor and dermatologist for the dermatitis on my eyes just prior to this outbreak.
They seemed a little concerned but did not warn me it could be cancerous. Now, I suspect not many women out there know a lesion or rash on the nipple or aureole can be breast cancer. Mine started out as a single red pimple on the aureole.
One of the biggest problems with Paget's disease of the nipple is that the symptoms appear to be harmless. It is frequently thought to be a skin inflammation or infection, leading to unfortunate delays in detection and care. What are the symptoms?
1. A persistent redness, oozing, and crusting of your nipple causing it to itch and burn. (As I stated, mine did not itch or burn much, and had no oozing I was aware of, but it did have a crust along the outer edge on one side.)
2. A sore on your nipple that will not heal. (Mine was on the aureole area with a whitish thick looking area in center of nipple).
3. Usually only one nipple is effected. How is it diagnosed? Your doctor will do a physical exam and should suggest having a mammogram of both breasts, done immediately. Even thoug
TO ALL READERS:
This is sad as women are not aware of Paget's disease. If, by passing this around on the e-mail, we can make others aware of it and its potential danger, we are helping women everywhere.
Please, if you can, take a moment! to forward this message to as many people as possible, especially to your family and friends. It only takes a moment, yet the results could save a life
CHEMO ALTERNATIVE
PROBEAT, a more efficient alternative to standard radio-therapy developed by Hitachi, is making its way to Proton Therapy centers
Early this morning Genetic Engineering News reported the announcement of Hitachi receiving the thumbs up from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to produce their PROBEAT Proton Beam Therapy System as an alternative to current radiation therapies.
According to the press release, the "PROBEAT system is in its final stages of construction at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center" which is located in Houston. The therapy center also plans to begin use of the PROBEAT system on patients this coming May.
Many of you may not be so familiar with proton beam technology in medical applications, however, the research and technology has been around since the middle of 20th century. According to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center:
PROBEAT is a medical device designed to produce and deliver a proton beam for the treatment of patients with localized tumors and other conditions susceptible to treatment by radiation. PROBEAT is a proton beam irradiation system, which provides a therapeutic proton beam for clinical treatment. It is designed to deliver a proton beam with the prescribed dose and dose distribution to the prescribed patient treatment site. The equipment is comprised of two main components. One is a beam delivery system whose primary responsibility is to ensure that the above listed prescription parameters are properly delivered. The other is the equipment necessary to generate the proton beam and direct it to the beam delivery system.
M.D. Anderson's Proton Therapy Center website has more information on proton therapy and an informative FAQ section answering questions such as how proton therapy works more efficiently to destroy cancer cells compared to traditional methods.
MORE INFO CLICK HERE!
CHEMO PRAISED FOR HARD- TO- TREAT CANCER
CHICAGO (AP -- Research offers hopeful news to women whose breast cancers are typically more difficult to treat: Modern chemotherapy means more of them will survive than previously thought.
Breaking News Alerts The latest findings offer more evidence that a tumor's "personality characteristics" are more important than size and how much the cancer has spread. Often the key is whether the tumor is fueled by the hormone estrogen.
Increasingly, doctors are considering that when recommending treatment.
About two-thirds of breast cancer patients have hormone-fueled tumors. Typically such cancers are treated with tamoxifen and other groundbreaking hormone-blocking drugs, which have fewer side effects. These women sometimes get chemotherapy too, although the new study suggests many of them will do just as well without it.
But that still leaves about 70,000 U.S. women diagnosed each year with nonhormonal cancer.
The new study found that advances in conventional intravenous chemotherapy give many of those patients almost as good a chance at survival as women with estrogen-fueled tumors.
While tamoxifen "changed the landscape" for estrogen-fueled tumors, "the playing field has now been leveled somewhat" because nonhormonal cancers respond so well to modern chemo, said lead author Donald Berry, a biostatistician at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
The research supports updated guidelines released in December by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a group of leading cancer treatment centers. They recommend that treatment be based partly on the tumor's hormone status.
"Breast cancer isn't one disease and one size won't fit all," said Dr. Eric Winer, a co-author and director of the breast oncology center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association along with an unrelated report from the government's landmark research into hormone pills.
That study shows that unlike estrogen-progestin pills, estrogen-only pills don't increase older women's risks for breast cancer. The new results, based on an updated analysis, echo findings from a report two years ago that showed estrogen pills linked to a higher risk of strokes, but not breast cancer.
The research on tumors and treatment is an analysis of 20 years of data from three studies involving 6,644 patients whose disease had spread to lymph nodes. Modern chemotherapy improved five-year cancer-free survival rates by almost 23 percent in women with nonhormonal cancer, versus just 7 percent in women with estrogen-fueled disease.
The latest chemotherapy regimen studied -- three drugs including Taxol and infusions every other week for 16 weeks -- reduced the risk of recurrence and death in patients with nonhormonal disease by more than 50 percent, compared with older, lower-dose and less frequent regimens.
The results reveal "just how big an effect the new chemotherapy is having" on women with estrogen-negative cancer, and likely will instill more optimism about these women's prognosis, said Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecologic cancer for the American Cancer Society.
The estrogen pills study involved 10,739 postmenopausal volunteers in the Women's Health Initiative. It found that the pills increase older women's risks of abnormal mammograms just as pills containing estrogen and progestin do.
That's because hormones can make breast tissue denser and harder to interpret on mammograms. That often results in repeat mammograms to clarify the initial images, a process that can be costly and anxiety-provoking.
Wyeth's Dr. Eileen Helzner called the results reassuring but said women should discuss their individual risks with their doctors before deciding whether to take hormones at menopause.
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The Journal of the American Medical Association AKA (JAMA)
JAMA ON THE NET CLICK HERE!
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