Search Results: chemotherapy (114)

[…] appropriate. Others will explore one or more of several other options. 1. Surgery Many women with breast cancer have some type of surgery, combined with radiation or chemotherapy. Common surgeries include: Lumpectomy: The least invasive breast cancer surgery, also known as partial mastectomy,  removes the tumor and a small portion of the surrounding normal […]

Medical marijuana easing pain, and lessening side effect for people fed up with the side-effects of conventional medications In the fall of 2012, 9 months after starting chemotherapy for Stage 3 colon cancer, Shannon Flowers of Seattle developed nerve pain in her hands and feet that was so intense she couldn’t sleep at night. […]

The immediate side effects of chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy that treat cancer are well known to those directly affected by them. The reactions can include debilitating nausea, fatigue and dizziness as well as hair loss. What you may not know is that certain adverse effects of these life-saving medicines can last a lifetime.  Over […]

[…] face cancer; you’d rather try to prevent it in the first place. Either way, you’re a good candidate — if you’re premenopausal — for tamoxifen. A powerful chemotherapy treatment that’s been used for more than 30 years, tamoxifen decreases the chances of breast cancer occurrence or recurrence by about 50%, according to Worta McCaskill-Stevens, […]

What’s in a chemo “cocktail” or in Neulasta? A lot more than just chemotherapy drugs, I discovered. I also learned that you might not need — or want — every ingredient. My story is proof that you can always do your own research and have a conversation with your doctor about whether a medication […]

Efudex: Chemotherapy Cream When April Pulliam first treated her chest with the chemotherapy cream Efudex, the itching, burning, seeping sores were to be expected, as the cream activated potentially precancerous spots. The nausea, nagging headaches and fatigue were not. “I was surprised that a cream could make me feel tired and run-down,” the third-grade […]

[…] an immunotherapy clinical trial. “It never occurred to me that I might benefit,” said Fernandez, a Texas resident with Stage IV lung cancer that had progressed despite chemotherapy. “I thought I was going to help future generations.” Fernandez was among the first people with lung cancer to receive Opdivo (nivolumab), an immunotherapy medication known […]

[…] along with acupuncture and other modalities, such as massage, Reiki and nutritional supplements, herbs can help: Support digestion and boost the body’s immune system in preparation for chemotherapy Reduce the side effects of chemotherapy, including fatigue, nausea, insomnia and lower blood cell counts Reduce pain and inflammation and facilitate healing before or after surgery […]

If your chemotherapy cancer drugs are making you feel miserable, you might be able to have your dose lowered without it losing effectiveness.  The dose makes the poison, noted the Swiss chemist Paracelsus more than 500 years ago. For example, you could take two acetaminophen pills (Tylenol) for a headache and get good relief, […]

[…] 2 breast cancer. For the last two years, Leonard has gone through a gauntlet of numerous treatments to keep her cancer from returning, including a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, two types of hormone therapy and surgery to remove her ovaries. The treatments put her into menopause — and her bone health at serious risk. In […]