Chemotherapy Port vs PICC Line: How Each Is Placed, Maintained and Removed
A chemo port is a small reservoir implanted under the skin of the chest and connected to a large vein; a PICC line is…
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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.
Autologous vs Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant: Own Cells or Donor Cells, and Who Gets Which
An autologous stem cell transplant returns a person's own previously collected blood-forming cells after high-dose treatment, while an allogeneic transplant uses cells from a…
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Life After Thyroid Cancer Surgery: Hormone Replacement, Energy and Daily Routine
After a total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer, the body can no longer make thyroid hormone, so most people take a daily synthetic version of…
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Low Blood Counts During Lymphoma Treatment: Precautions and the Symptoms That Need a Call
Lymphoma chemotherapy and some immunotherapies temporarily lower white cells, platelets and red cells, and the infection risk usually peaks about one to two weeks…
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How a Basal Cell Carcinoma Excision Heals: Dressings, Stitches and Scar Maturation
After a basal cell carcinoma excision, a stitched wound usually has a sealed surface within about two weeks, with surface sutures removed anywhere from…
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Hot Flashes and Fatigue on Hormone Therapy: Practical Ways the Care Team Helps
Hot flashes and fatigue are among the most common side effects of cancer hormone therapy because these treatments lower or block estrogen or testosterone,…
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How Vulvar Cancer Treatment Is Planned by Stage and Tumor Location
Vulvar cancer treatment is planned by stage, which describes how deep the tumor has grown and whether it has reached lymph nodes or other…
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When Is Radiotherapy Used for Skin Cancer Instead of Surgery? How the Choice Is Made
Radiotherapy is usually chosen instead of surgery for skin cancer when an operation would be difficult, risky, or cosmetically costly: for example, in people…
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Why Proton Therapy Side Effects Often Peak After the Last Session, Then Settle
Proton therapy side effects often peak in the first week or two after the final session because radiation damages the deep cell layers that…
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Follow-Up Visits After Breast Cancer: What Is Checked at Each Stage of Recovery
After breast cancer treatment, follow-up usually means a clinical exam every three to six months for the first few years, then every six to…
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The Whipple Procedure for Pancreatic Cancer: What Is Removed and How the Body Adapts
The Whipple procedure, or pancreaticoduodenectomy, removes the head of the pancreas, the first part of the small intestine, the gallbladder, part of the bile…
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Hormone Therapy for Cancer vs HRT: Same Words, Opposite Goals
Hormone therapy for cancer and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use similar words but pull in opposite directions. Cancer hormone therapy blocks or lowers estrogen…
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How Leukemia and Lymphoma Treatment Paths Differ, and Where They Overlap
Leukemia and lymphoma are both cancers of white blood cells, but leukemia begins in the bone marrow and travels in the blood, so it…
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Bone Marrow Transplant Recovery Milestones: Discharge, Day 100 and the First Year
Bone marrow transplant recovery unfolds in stages rather than a single date. Blood counts usually recover within a few weeks of the infusion, most…
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Preparing for Stomach Cancer Treatment: Nutrition Assessment and Pre-Surgery Checks
Before stomach cancer surgery, care teams typically assess nutrition by tracking recent weight loss, appetite and how much a person can actually eat, alongside…
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Lumpectomy or Mastectomy for Breast Cancer: What the Surgical Team Weighs With You
For most early-stage breast cancers, lumpectomy followed by radiation and mastectomy offer similar long-term survival, so the choice usually turns on tumor size relative…
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How Graft-Versus-Host Disease Is Treated: Immunosuppressive Therapy Step by Step
Graft-versus-host disease is treated by calming the donor immune cells that are attacking the recipient's body. Prevention starts with immunosuppressive medicines around transplant. If…
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Who Is a Candidate for Robotic Partial Nephrectomy? Tumor Size, Location and Kidney Health
A robotic partial nephrectomy candidate is usually someone with a single, small kidney tumor, most often 4 cm or under and sometimes up to…
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