Cancer
Taking the Mystery Out of Cancer Clinical Trials
(BPT) – In 2012, Donna Fernandez was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer-a disease that claims the lives of more than 150,000 men and women in the United States each year. She went through multiple rounds of various medicines, but her disease progressed. Her doctor offered her a choice: start a new chemotherapy regimen or […]
Thankful for every moment while living with lung cancer
(BPT) – As a busy mother of two sons, Ivy Elkins shrugged off her sore neck and elbow pain for months. She thought it was probably from the extra hours spent planning a bar mitzvah for her oldest son. After all, a middle-aged woman who never smoked doesn’t fit the typical profile of a lung […]
After years of ER visits and overlooked symptoms, a rare cancer diagnosis emerges
(BPT) – Giovanna was a successful composer and pianist playing alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry when she experienced bouts of abdominal pain so intense she made repeated visits to the emergency room (ER). Over the next several years, Giovanna found herself in the ER at least six times, always with […]
Dread cancer screenings? Here are tips on how to deal
(BPT) – You go in for your annual visit and it goes something like this: You get weighed and measured and prodded. You see your doctor and talk about your health, maybe get a prescription refill, and most likely a referral for a screening or lab test. You walk out with the best of intentions, […]
Go Beyond Pink during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
(BPT) – This October, there will be lots of pink ribbons, shirts, and pins all across the United States supporting early breast cancer survivors. But, it is also important to acknowledge the approximately 151,000 U.S. women currently living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), the most advanced stage of the disease. These women can have a […]
Despite strides against all cancers, liver cancer rates on the rise
(BPT) – More people are surviving cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). From 1991 to 2012, the rate of cancer deaths declined about 23 percent. Despite that progress, one type of cancer has actually become more common – liver cancer. New cases have tripled in the past 36 years and death rates also […]
Women: One type of cancer you have the power to prevent
(BPT) – The type of cancer that used to be the leading cause of cancer death among American women is now virtually 100 percent preventable, thanks to advances in screening techniques. Each year, nearly 12,000 women receive a cervical cancer diagnosis and more than 4,200 will die from cervical cancer, according to the Centers for […]
Communication, not silence, is golden for men battling prostate cancer
(BPT) – For the nearly 3 million American men fighting prostate cancer, and the thousands more yet to be diagnosed, silence is not golden. Men who speak up about their disease – to their doctors, loved ones and community – can get the help they need, when they need it, and ensure their treatment plan […]
The breast cancer no one talks about: One woman’s journey with metastatic disease
(BPT) – Beth Fairchild considered herself fairly well-educated about breast cancer. Like most people, she had followed discussion in the media, the pink merchandise and the many events in support of breast cancer awareness, as well as the accompanying information about prevention and early detection. But for Fairchild, the disease was also personal: both her […]