IMRT Planning Day Explained: Simulation CT, Immobilization Mask and Skin Marks
An IMRT simulation planning CT is the mapping appointment before radiation treatment begins. You lie in the exact position you will use for every…
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Blog Category
Cancer Care
Articles for patients and families facing cancer: how screening and diagnosis work, what staging means, how the main treatment types differ and how to prepare for appointments. General information; treatment decisions belong to your oncology team.
Why Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Is Often Watched First, and What Triggers Treatment
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is often watched rather than treated at first because trials have not shown that starting treatment early helps people live longer,…
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The Days Before Radiation Therapy Starts: Simulation, Skin Marks and a Checklist to Follow
Preparing for radiation therapy usually means attending a planning appointment called a simulation, where you lie in your treatment position for a CT scan,…
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Bleeding, Fever or Pain After Endometrial Cancer Surgery: Which Signs Need a Call
After a hysterectomy for endometrial cancer, call your surgical team the same day for bleeding heavier than a light period or that suddenly restarts,…
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When Does Leukemia Treatment Include a Stem Cell Transplant, and Who Is Assessed for It?
A stem cell transplant becomes part of leukemia treatment when the disease is judged likely to return after chemotherapy alone, or when it has…
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Staging Before Cancer Treatment Starts: How Imaging and Pathology Set the Plan
Cancer staging before treatment describes how large a tumor is and whether it has reached nearby lymph nodes or distant organs, most often using…
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Surgery or Radiation for Prostate Cancer? How Specialists Compare the Two Paths
For localized prostate cancer, surgery and radiation therapy are both standard treatments, and the largest long-term randomized trial found deaths from prostate cancer were…
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How Is HIPEC Performed? Tumor Removal Followed by Heated Chemotherapy Inside the Abdomen
HIPEC is performed in two stages during a single operation. Surgeons first carry out cytoreductive surgery, removing every visible tumor deposit from the abdominal…
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TURBT for Bladder Cancer: How the Endoscopic Tumor Removal Is Performed
A TURBT (transurethral resection of bladder tumor) removes a bladder growth through the urethra with a thin telescope and an electrified wire loop, so…
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Life After Bladder Removal Surgery: Urinary Diversion Options and Daily Adjustments
After bladder removal (cystectomy), urine must leave the body by a new route called a urinary diversion: an ileal conduit draining into an external…
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Getting a Second Opinion on a Melanoma Diagnosis: Pathology Review and Plan Questions
A second opinion on a melanoma diagnosis usually has two parts: a fresh read of the original biopsy slides by a pathologist who specializes…
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Eating After Colon Cancer Surgery: How Diet Is Rebuilt With Your Care Team’s Guidance
Diet after colon cancer surgery is rebuilt in stages guided by your surgical team and dietitian: clear liquids in the first day or two,…
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Colonoscopy Surveillance After Colon Cancer: Why Follow-Up Continues After Treatment Ends
Colonoscopy surveillance after colon cancer continues because the remaining colon can grow new polyps or a second cancer, and the surgical join can occasionally…
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Facial Weakness or Numbness After Parotidectomy: What Is Expected and When to Call
Some facial weakness or numbness after parotidectomy is common and, in most people, temporary. Weakness comes from the facial nerve being stretched or bruised…
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What Follow-Up After Lung Cancer Treatment Involves: Scans, Visits and Side-Effect Care
Follow-up after lung cancer treatment usually combines scheduled clinic visits, a chest CT scan at set intervals, and ongoing care for side effects such…
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How Does a Child Recover After Wilms Tumor Surgery? Comfort, Wound Healing and Next Steps
After Wilms tumor surgery, a child usually spends several days in hospital while pain is controlled, the bowel starts working again and the incision…
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Can You Have Lung Cancer Surgery? What Lung Function and Heart Tests Help Decide
Yes, many people with early-stage lung cancer can have surgery, but the decision rests on tests rather than age alone. Surgeons measure breathing capacity…
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Melanoma Staging: What Biopsy Review, PET-CT and Blood Tests Reveal Before Treatment
Melanoma staging tests establish how far the cancer has spread before any treatment plan is made. The pathologist's review of the biopsy, which measures…
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