Surgery or Radiotherapy First for Neck Cancer? How the Multidisciplinary Team Decides
There is no single right order. For neck and throat cancers the multidisciplinary team weighs where the tumor sits, how far it has spread,…
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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.
What Protons Change: How Proton Therapy Stops at the Tumor Instead of Passing Through
Proton therapy and photon radiation both treat cancer with high-energy beams, but they behave differently inside the body. Photon (X-ray) beams deposit dose along…
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Infection Risk After a Stem Cell Transplant: Protective Isolation, Masks and When to Call
Infection risk after a stem cell transplant is highest in the first few weeks, when conditioning treatment has wiped out white blood cells and…
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Who May Benefit From Cancer Rehabilitation: Fatigue, Weakness and Limb Swelling
Cancer rehabilitation is usually considered for anyone whose cancer or its treatment has left them with persistent fatigue, muscle weakness, limb swelling (lymphedema), stiffness,…
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How Engraftment After a Stem Cell Transplant Shows Up in Your Blood Counts Week by Week
Engraftment after a stem cell transplant is the point when transplanted stem cells settle in the marrow and begin producing new blood cells. Counts…
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When Is Radiation Chosen Over Surgery for Vulvar Cancer, and When Are Both Used?
Surgery is usually the first treatment for vulvar cancer that can be removed with a clear margin of healthy tissue while preserving bladder, bowel…
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What Is Normal Healing After Vulvar Cancer Surgery and What Needs a Prompt Call
After vulvar cancer surgery, mild swelling, bruising, thin pinkish drainage, numbness and soreness that eases week by week are usually part of normal healing.…
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Lymphedema After Breast Cancer Treatment: How It Is Monitored and Managed Long Term
Lymphedema after breast cancer treatment is persistent swelling of the arm, hand, breast or chest wall caused by damage to lymph nodes and vessels…
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Targeted Therapy for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: How Daily Treatment and Monitoring Work
Targeted therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia uses daily oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that block BCR-ABL1, the abnormal enzyme driving the disease. Treatment is…
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Why a Dental Assessment Comes Before Head Cancer Radiotherapy and What It Involves
A dental assessment before head and neck radiotherapy is a specialist check of the teeth, gums and jaw carried out before treatment starts. Radiation…
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What Happens After TURBT? How Pathology Results and Follow-Up Cystoscopy Guide the Next Steps
After TURBT, the removed tissue goes to a pathologist, whose report on stage, grade and the presence of bladder muscle in the sample decides…
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Bone Marrow Transplant in Older Adults: Reduced-Intensity Conditioning and What Age Changes
Older adults can and do receive bone marrow transplants; fitness, organ function and the specific blood cancer matter more than a birthday. Reduced-intensity conditioning…
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Who May Be a Candidate for HIPEC? Peritoneal Spread, Imaging and the Surgical Evaluation
People considered for HIPEC usually have cancer confined to the lining of the abdomen, a primary tumor type where the approach is supported by…
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Your First Chemotherapy Infusion Day: Check-In, Blood Work, Pre-Medication and the Infusion
On a first chemotherapy infusion day, most people check in, have weight and vital signs recorded, give a blood sample, and wait for results…
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Working, Eating and Resting During Lymphoma Treatment: A Practical Guide for Patients
Many people keep some work, meals and routines going during lymphoma treatment, but the pattern usually follows the treatment cycle: a few harder days…
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Preparing for Neck Cancer Treatment: Dental Review, Nutrition Planning and Fitness Tests
Preparing for neck cancer treatment usually means three things done in the weeks before therapy starts: a dental review to treat or remove teeth…
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Follow-Up After Thyroid Cancer: What Blood Tests and Ultrasound Track Over Time
After treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer, follow-up usually rests on three blood tests, thyroglobulin, thyroglobulin antibodies and TSH, paired with a neck ultrasound. Thyroglobulin…
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Basal Cell Carcinoma in Older Adults: How Treatment Is Tailored to Health and Skin
Basal cell carcinoma treatment in older adults is tailored to the tumor's size, location, subtype and growth rate, and to the person's overall health,…
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