Myailments.com - children

Hodgkins survivors are successful at having children

Fri, 25 May 2007 15:30:10 +0000

Filed under: Hodgkin's Lymphoma , Research Norwegian researchers report that about 68 percent of patients who wish to have children manage to do so after successful treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma. The researchers studied both men and women survivors. They found that the type of treatment was significantly associated with successful parenthood. The highest probability was in patients treated with radiation only or with less damaging types of chemotherapy.

Doll helps kids understand breast cancer

Wed, 09 May 2007 17:30:35 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Chemotherapy , Products , Cancer Survivors Kim Goebel was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, at the age of 43. Her sister Kris noticed a lot of moms saying "How am I going to tell my kids?"

Thought for the Day: Another round of coffee, cancer

Thu, 03 May 2007 09:00:43 +0000

Filed under: Leukemia , Colon and Rectal Cancer , Prevention , Liver Cancer , Stomach Cancer , Research , Daily news

Country singer Toby Keith announces charity golf event

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 13:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Childhood Cancers , Kidney Cancer , Cancer events , Celebrity fundraisers , Celebrity spokesperson , Events , Fundraisers

Anti-HIV drug use in pregnancy increases cancer risk

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 11:00:32 +0000

Filed under: All Cancers , Research , Daily news Antiretroviral drugs, used to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child, are now believed to cause genetic damage in infants. This damage, leading to an increased risk of developing cancer, makes it highly plausible these children may be diagnosed with the disease in mid and late adulthood. Two new studies indicate there are cancer-causing effects of transplacental exposure to AZT, an antiretroviral drug. These effects -- like increased incidence of tumors and tumors with genetic changes -- have been demonstrated in mice and rats and seem to be cause for concern in humans too. "The cumulative mutagenesis data suggest that infants exposed transplacentally to AZT may be at increased risk for cancer as they age," said one researcher, whose findings are published in Environment and Molecular Mutagenesis. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

More risk factors added to breast cancer list

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 10:00:06 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Prevention , Daily news Simply being female puts all women at risk for breast cancer. That and age, race, family history, personal history, genetic make-up, when they had children, when they reach menopause, and a whole host of other possible factors. Now U.S. doctors are officially calling body mass index, breast density, and alcohol consumption predictors of the disease, says Therese Bevers, medical director of the Cancer Prevention Center, at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Bevers helped write updated guidelines for the prevention of breast cancer and presented them at the 12th annual National Comprehensive Cancer Network in Hollywood, Florida on Friday. The guidelines, featuring the revised list of risk factors, also offer treatment options for women -- including bilateral mastectomy for women who have tested positive for the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 as well as possible medical treatments with drugs such as tamoxifen and raloxifene. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Photo essay paves visual path for women who follow

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 10:00:43 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Cancer Survivors Photographs tell powerful stories. They depict people and objects and landscapes and emotions in deep, meaningful ways. They capture permanent visual representations of moments in life. They paint pictures that even the most well-crafted words could not reproduce. When Mary Ann Nilan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 at the age of 40, she knew her story must be told -- through pictures. So she asked a photographer to record it all, stating, "I hope the pictures make the road easier for other women." The rest is history. She calls it a photo essay and titles it The Diary of Healing . For 17 frames -- with photographs dominating each space and text kept to a minimum -- Nilan shares her journey that began with the discovery of breast cancer in both breasts and several lymph nodes, the journey that took her through chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and reconstruction with implants. Her photographs document significant stops on her physical and emotional trek. They show her bald head, the wig she wore only once and then let hang on a hook, the scars that crossed her flat chest after surgery, an injection of saline that painfully pierced the skin of her new breasts, her children measuring her hair as it grows in after chemotherapy. The photographs are both hopeful and chilling. They are breast cancer. They are more than words could ever capture. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Childhood cancer survivors at risk later in life

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 10:00:27 +0000

Filed under: Childhood Cancers , Research , Daily news , Cancer Survivors The overall cure rate for the 20,000 children diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year is more than 75 percent. Sounds good -- especially when 50 years ago, most children diagnosed with cancer died. But considering that only one in three childhood cancer survivors remain healthy, perhaps this is not such good news. Thirty years after diagnosis, about 40 percent of survivors have a serious health problem and one-third have multiple problems. Strokes, heart disease, and kidney failure are just a few of the major health concerns that plague many survivors who have entered adulthood. Doctors have long known that cancer treatments can cause new cancers later in life. But the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study -- the largest ever childhood study of its kind -- shows there are other long-term health problems. Researchers studied 10,000 survivors -- past studies examined 200-300 survivors -- and found these survivors were eight times as likely as their siblings to develop severe and life-threatening conditions. They found survivors of bone tumors, nerve and brain cancer, and Hodgkin's disease faced the highest risk. The source of these later-in-life health problems vary. Kidney failure may result from damage caused by chemotherapy or radiation or the infections children suffer when their immune systems are weakened. Drugs used to treat infections may also be to blame. Strokes may result from head and chest radiation. Cancer treatment for people of all ages comes with a price. We buy time, we buy life in exchange for the unknown. But for children -- who stand to live longer than adults -- there is a greater unknown. Sadly, there is a dark side to surviving cancer. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Springing forward and falling back in time a cancer risk?

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:44:50 +0000

If you live in the northern hemisphere, we are fully into the fall season. In the southern hemisphere, they are enjoying spring, and looking forward to the upcoming summer. To maximize daylight hours, we turn our clocks ahead one hour each spring, and turn the clocks back one hour each fall. However, this has become a bit of a debate in Australia, as Queensland Premier Peter Beattie is digging in his heels, locking his knees, and crossing his arms against his chest in refusing to follow fellow countrymen in Western Australia when it comes to considering the policy of instituting daylight saving time . Beattie is well-intentioned but ill-informed in his concern that the extra hour of light might increase the already high risk of skin cancer in Queensland. Adding an extra hour at the end of the day -- or the beginning of the day -- depending on how you want to view it, will not increase skin cancer risks resulting from excessive exposure to sunlight. The hours of the day when the sun is most damaging, and most dangerous in increasing skin cancer risks, is the middle of the day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to The Skin Foundation , to reduce skin cancer risks, we need to protect ourselves year-round by staying out of the sun during peak hours of 10a.m. to 4p.m., by wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor SPF 15 or higher, wearing a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses, avoiding the use of tanning parlors and artificial tanning devices, keeping newborns out of the sun, teaching children good sun-protective practices, examining skin from head-to-toe once a month, having a professional examination annually, and avoiding sunburn. For more information about skin cancer myths and fact, read Skin cancer myths debunked by dermatologists . Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Sick children at St. Jude create hopeful holiday gifts

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:00:03 +0000

Filed under: Childhood Cancers , Fundraisers , Products The kids at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital keep busy getting better. They keep busy making holiday gifts too -- like ornaments and ceramic plates and holiday cards and gift wrap. All of their hand-crafted creations fill the 2006 St. Jude Holiday Hope Gift Book , available now and jam-packed with powerful gifts of hope. Proceeds from gift purchases -- 84 percent of each sale -- benefit sick children in every community in every country who come to St. Jude for life-saving treatment. Like Caleb, a seven-year-old boy diagnosed in 2004 with leukemia. Caleb was referred to St. Jude -- where no family is ever turned away because of an inability to pay -- and received treatment for three years. Caleb is now in remission and expresses his feelings through his artwork. Anna Grace, a five-year-old who was abandoned on a roadside in China when she was one day old, was adopted by an American couple and soon after was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her brain stem. After surgery to remove the tumor, Anna Grace was referred to St. Jude for chemotherapy and radiation. Today, Anna Grace is healthy and only returns for check-ups every six months. St. Jude stories of hope are plentiful. And so are the kid-created holiday gifts offered this season. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Kylie Minogue: the Kylie effect leads to misunderstanding about breast cancer

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:30:34 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Celebrity cancer diagnosis , Cancer Survivors When Australian pop star Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, there was a sudden surge in the number of young women requesting breast cancer screening. Minogue's breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 37 raised concern among a younger population of women that breast cancer is a diagnosis that could potentially happen to them. Knowledge is power and education saves lives. The increase in breast cancer awareness became known as the Kylie Effect. However, the awareness that younger women can develop breast cancer has led some women to age-related conclusions about breast cancer that are not true, and this is also being referred to as the Kylie Effect. According to a recent survey of 2,289 women conducted by Cancer Research UK, 77 percent of the survey participants said that breast cancer risk was higher for women under the age of 70, and 33 percent said that women under the age of 50 were most at risk. The fact is cancer risk increases with age, and four out of five women diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50. "Celebrities with breast cancer like Kylie Minogue and Caron Keating have attracted a lot of publicity -- especially in magazines aimed at younger women. This is very beneficial in that it raises awareness of breast cancer. But the down side is that it may also set up a chain of panic among young women, while misleading older women to think that ageing is not a relevant factor in breast cancer," stated Dr Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK. For a retrospective of Kylie Minogue's breast cancer journey:

Kylie Minogue: voted favorite traveling companion of men.
Kylie Minogue: world exclusive interview with Sky One.
Kylie Minogue loses close friend and personal chauffeur to cancer.
Kylie Minogue: back on stage as a breast cancer survivor.
Kylie Minogue: laughter is the best medicine for cancer cure.
Dannii Minogue: sings under pressure about sister Kylie.
Kylie Minogue breast cancer survivor glows in health.
Kylie Minogue: cancer survivor writes children's book.
Kylie Minogue joins women in fight for Herceptin.
Kylie Minogue in breast cancer remission.

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E-mail from Amy Wilson sent at just the right time

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:00:19 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer A few days ago, notification of an e-mail arrived in my inbox. It popped up right in front of me, with the sender's name -- Amy Wilson -- glaring in black print right before my eyes. Amy is my friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer just after my own diagnosis. We e-mailed frequently about our cancer hopes and fears and so it was never before odd that a message would travel from her computer in Ohio to mine in Florida. But on the day this one e-mail arrived, it was odd -- because Amy died two weeks ago, after a 15-month battle with the disease we both vowed to conquer. The e-mail was not from Amy. It was from her husband, Paul. And it was as comforting to hear from him as it was odd to see Amy's name flash in front of me. You see, I have wanted to call Paul, e-mail Paul, send a card to Paul -- something. I have wanted to reach out in some way, even though I have never met the man who thought he would spend the rest of his life raising his two children with Amy. But I never could figure out what I would write or say or send. I have been afraid that it would be hard for him to talk about Amy's death. I've been afraid that it would be hard for me to talk about her death. So I have waited, hoping the passage of time would help prepare me for some sort of action. And in the end, time was not necessary. Because Paul reached out to me. And this is what he wrote in the e-mail he sent from Amy's mailbox. I'm Amy's husband Paul and I was going through Amy's e-mail and noticed your e-mail. I'm not sure if Ericha told you or not but Amy passed away 10/05/06. Here is the story: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/15693317.htm If you're hearing this for the first time, sorry to tell you over e-mail. You were a great inspiration to Amy. Your quote " Fight the Good Fight" was front and center on our fridge. Please don't let this news get you down, Amy would want your chin up, would want you to keep fighting. Thanks for all your support. And now I can contact Paul, because he has opened the door. He -- the one suffering the greatest loss -- has comforted me. And now I need to thank him. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Sunday Seven: Seven completely candid cancer confessions

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 10:00:46 +0000

Filed under: All Cancers , Sunday Seven I have a new friend who is a new breast cancer survivor. She is surviving a new diagnosis, a recent lumpectomy, and the moments leading up to another surgery to further investigate the margins surrounding the tumor removed from her breast. She is surviving the first phase of her breast cancer journey. A phase full of uncertainty and fear and panic. A phase so new and so fresh and so raw, her mind is whirling. A phase that has her grasping for any bit of direction she can find as she navigates a terrifying, unfamiliar road. My friend is a young wife and mother whose worries are consuming her. She e-mailed me today and asked if I ever have moments when I look at my young children and worry that cancer will take me from them while they are young. She asked if I have always been so sure I will be okay. And so I replied with this candid cancer confession. I look at my boys every day -- mostly at night when they are sleeping and peaceful and perfect and when cancer makes me most emotional -- and wonder "what if I am not here for them for very long?" I think all the time "if I died right now, am I confident they will be okay?" Just before I went for my first Herceptin treatment -- and just after I had read that a few women died from an allergic reaction to the drug -- I started writing a bunch of notes for my husband for after I died. I told him where to buy the boys good shoes and I listed the names of all their doctors. I reminded my husband to remember to cut their fingernails and toenails and to e-mail everyone in my address book about my death. I wrote and I cried -- and my notes sit right behind me right now on a bookshelf. I did not die -- and the notes were not necessary. Only a few women died from Herceptin and they all had previous health issues. I am not sure why I got all worked about it --- I went on to have not one side effect from the treatment really. It was not really the Herceptin, I guess -- it was the cancer. It's always on my mind, always will be. How can we not contemplate death when it is happening to young women just like us? So, yes, I think about dying. But my gut tells me I will be okay for some time. My gut has served me well. I think there will come a time when yours will serve you well too! And after I wrote this, I thought about other confessions I could reveal that might shed some light on my whole realm of surviving cancer. So here are six more completely candid cancer confessions. Candid Confession #2 I truly, deeply, genuinely fear that every ache, pain, and twinge of discomfort I experience will lead to another cancer diagnosis. A bump on the roof of my mouth, a gurgling stomach, a lingering headache, an odd shape of tissue in my breast, pain in my esophagus -- each of these discoveries has sent me into a tailspin of panic, relieved only by a visit to a physician for exams that rule out my worst fear. Rationally, I know my fears are irrational. Logically, I am fine. Emotionally, I am not. Candid Confession #3 I can't imagine how I would emotionally cope with pregnancy now that I've had cancer. I can't imagine feeling calm and peaceful and serene while contemplating the possibility of a recurrence while pregnant, the possibility of a recurrence after pregnancy, the possibility that my early death would leave my husband with the monumental responsibility of three children, the possibility of a birth defect resulting from the poisonous drugs that for two years have been swirling through my body, the possibility I would give birth to a baby girl and would pass on to her the legacy of breast cancer. The possibilities are endless. And yet I want the same third baby I wanted moments before I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I just don't know if the gamble is worth it. And I don't know if the regret will haunt me when I turn out to be alive and well with two grown boys. Candid Confession #4 I have been open and honest with my little boys about breast cancer. They know the basics. They know I had a boo-boo in my boobie, they know it was removed, they know medicine took my hair and made me better. They know the word cancer, they know it's a sickness, they know at the time being, we are done with it. But they are young -- five and three -- and have no real understanding of the word. They have no comprehension of what cancer can really do, can really take away from us all. And so there is a little pit in my stomach that aches for my little boys whose lives will forever be touched by cancer in ways none of us can predict. They are innocent and unsuspecting. I am afraid of what cancer might do to their simple souls. Candid Confession #5 I am afraid of what cancer will do to me -- short of the whole death thing. I am afraid of the chemotherapy drug Adriamycin that seeped into my veins and can be toxic to my heart. I am afraid of the drug Herceptin that sailed through my same veins over the course of one year that can also damage my heart. I am afraid of the sun because of an allergic reaction caused by my chemotherapy drugs. And I am afraid of chemo brain -- the mental fogginess I periodically experience that can prevent me from remembering my own phone number and can sometimes wipe out my short-term memory. Candid Confession #6 I have never been a fan of medication and even tried to avoid drugs to minimize treatment side effects. So when my oncologist recommended an anti-depressant during treatment to help manage my constant tears and constant anxiety, I was reluctant. Not until he convinced me that many cancer patients benefit from anti-depressants to take the edge off heightened emotion did I agree to try a daily dose of Zoloft. It worked -- in combination with counseling -- and I am not afraid to confess that this medication helps me survive. Candid Confession #7 In spite of my fears and my worries and my panic, I truly am okay. I am happy and confident and downright positive for most minutes of most days that I will survive this disease that makes me a bit unstable at times. Therefore, my most important cancer confession is this -- I have dark moments and I have dismal days and I have decisions facing me that I can't even begin to make. But I am alive right now. I am healthy. I have two beautiful children and a loving family who keep me smiling. And if it wasn't cancer, it would be something else popping up to plague me. I'm okay with cancer -- and in an odd way, I like that it keeps me thinking and analyzing and reflecting. I like that it helps me help others -- like my new friend, a new breast cancer survivor. Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Awareness of breast cancer risk is a must, every month

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:00:57 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer There are various risk factors that can contribute to the development of breast cancer. Being female is the single biggest risk factor that on its own puts all women in jeopardy. But there are other risks -- many beyond our control and some more significant than others -- that can help explain why some women are diagnosed with the most common cancer in women in the United States. And why others are not. Age As women age, their risk of breast cancer increases. Most breast cancer diagnoses occur in women over the age of 50. Personal history of breast cancer Women who have had breast cancer are more likely to develop it again. Family history of breast cancer Women with a first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with breast or ovarian cancer are at risk of a breast cancer diagnosis. Genetics Women with inherited genetic mutations have an increased risk of breast cancer. Women with alterations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have an 85 percent chance of developing the disease at some point in their lives. High breast tissue density Women with high breast tissue density have more ducts and lobules and less fat -- and this puts them more at risk for breast cancer. Breast hyperplasia Hyperplasia is an increase in the growth of cells in a tissue. It can be detected only by looking at a sample of breast tissue under a microscope. If present, it increases risk. Lifetime exposure to estrogen The longer a women is exposed to estrogen, the more risk she acquires. Risk is highest in women who began menstruating before the age of 12 and in women who went through menopause after the age of 55. Since estrogen strengthens bones, women with high bone mass may also be at risk. Not having children, or having children after the age of 30 Estrogen levels are lower during pregnancy, so women who experience pregnancy have the benefit of diminished estrogen for a period of time. Not breastfeeding can also increase risk. Exposure to radiation Prior radiation to the chest area increases risk. Having Ashkenazi Jewish heritage Women with this heritage have an increased risk due to possible mutated genes -- such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Other possible risk factors include being overweight, lack of exercise, and drinking alcohol. Drinking just one drink per day can increase risk. These risk factors are only possibilities -- they are not definite, conclusive, without-a-doubt factors that will definitely result in breast cancer. A woman may have several of these characteristics and never develop breast cancer. And sadly, a woman may have none of these characteristics and still develop breast cancer. I developed breast cancer with three of these risk factors -- I have very dense breasts, I had my first child at age 30, and I did not breastfeed. But I was young when I was diagnosed -- 34 -- and since this is not a risk factor, it seems only fair this should cancel out one of my predictors. But clearly it doesn't. Even if it did, it wouldn't change anything. I still had breast cancer. And now I am more at risk of developing it again. There is no simple formula for determining who will get breast cancer. There are only possible predictors that can help us gauge our own risk. Still, these predictors are important -- they arm us with knowledge, with an awareness that helps us prepare for what may lie ahead. This awareness is critical. This month. Every month. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Smoking causes lung cancer, so does family history

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 10:00:21 +0000

Filed under: Lung Cancer , Research , Daily news Smoking is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer -- and 90 percent of all lung cancer cases are related to smoking. But family history is a risk factor too and can nearly double the risk of developing the deadly disease. A study published in the October issue of Chest found by studying a population of Japanese adults that people with a first-degree relative -- mother, father, or sibling -- who had lung cancer had a 95 percent higher risk of contracting the disease. Those who smoked had the greatest risk, but those who did not smoke were still at risk. And women were more at risk than men. The type of lung cancer most associated with family history is squamous cell carcinoma. The results of this study do not yet translate into recommended guidelines for screening. But those with a family history of lung cancer should make their physicians aware of their history. And perhaps one day people with family history will be identified as high-risk for lung cancer and will be included in further studies. In the meantime, these individuals should avoid all contact with all inhaled and second-hand smoke and should protect their children from all forms of tobacco smoke. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 180,000 cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year. About 170,000 die from the disease every year. It's the second leading cause of death for men and the third leading cause of death for women. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments