Myailments.com - young

How are children surviving cancer?

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:00:10 +0000

Filed under: Childhood Cancers How are children surviving cancer today? Better than ever before. Some childhood cancer patients, now in their young adult years, are expecting to reach milestones in their lives others before them never would have reached. Today, 1 in 1,000 young adults in the United States is a childhood cancer survivor. In the 1970s, the chance a child would outlive leukemia or lymphoma was 25 percent. Today, it's 80 percent. That's better than most adult recovery rates. As recovery rates rise, a new frontier is on the horizon -- follow-up for these young people as they age. You see, the very treatments that saved these individuals may cause them complications later in life. It's not yet clear what happens when kids live 20 to 30 years beyond diagnosis. But teams at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, plan to find out as they launch one of the most ambitious follow-up programs to date. Contacting 5,000 patients who have survived for more than 10 years, doctors hope they will recruit a group to receive free check-ups for life. They'll also receive blood tests, MRI scans, even fertility counseling. Their medical histories will serve as rich textbooks for medical professionals and future patients -- so the war on childhood cancer can continue. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Prostate cancer prognosis not good for Merv Griffin

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Prostate Cancer , Television , Daily news , Celebrity news Merv Griffin, creator and producer of TV game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, announced in July that he'd been diagnosed once again with prostate cancer. Hospitalized after the cancer recurrence was detected during a routine examination, Griffin was reportedly doing fine. New reports indicate Griffin's prognosis is not so fine, although his reps won't confirm of deny this. It is clear Griffin is still in the hospital. Sources close to him say he is putting all his strength into fighting this battle with cancer. In lieu of sending him flowers, Griffin asks that well-wishers donate to the Young Musicians Foundation -- an organization he chairs. Also, messages can be sent here .

Rise Above It: RAI helps young adults battle cancer

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:00:22 +0000

Filed under: Fundraisers , Young Adult Cancers , Services Rise Above It (RAI) is a non-profit organization that helps young adults battling cancer. The strength in spirit of its founder, Colin O'Donoghue , guides RAI in its efforts. As a friend, teacher and coach, Colin deeply enriched the lives of others.

Sunday Seven: Seven top cancer myths

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 08:00:48 +0000

Filed under: All Cancers , Environment , Diets , Exercise , Smoking , Sunday Seven Who knows which pieces of cancer information floating around out there are actually true? I don't. Do cell phones cause cancer? Some say yes, some say no, I say I'm confused! Luckily, I happened upon this Discovery Health article that highlights a variety of myths and then offers the lowdown on each one. Here are seven of them: Myth #1. There is currently a cure for cancer, but the medical industry won't tell the public about it because they make too much money treating cancer patients. Chalk this up to urban legend. And consider this: doctors, laboratory scientists, and their families and friends die of cancer at the same rate as everyone else in the United States. How about this: medical breakthroughs happen all the time and are quickly applied. Think about antibiotics and vaccines -- like the polio vaccine -- that have transformed health care. How about this? Not too long ago, less than one in 10 kids with leukemia survived 10 years. Now, the cure rate is nearly 80 percent. Seems like progress to me. Myth #2. Electronic devices, like cell phones, can cause cancer in the people who use them. Although very few studies suggest a link between rare types of brain tumors and cell phone use, the consensus among most research is that there is no consistent association between the two. The same goes for microwaves and related appliances that emit low-frequency radiation. Myth #3. Treating cancer with surgery causes it to spread throughout the body. This belief may have started many years ago when most patients already had very advanced forms of cancer at the time of surgery. Doctors may have detected a widespread disease that could not be successfully treated. When the patient died a short time later, some may have believed the surgery caused the cells to spread and kill the patient. The truth, however, is that doctors have long known how to safely take biopsies and remove tumors without causing any spread. In many cases, surgery is essential for survival. In cases where cells could be dislodged, doctors take proper precautions. For example, in testicular cancer cases, the entire testicle is removed to prevent this scenario. Myth #4. Regularly eating meat cooked on a charcoal grill won't increase cancer risk. Chemists have determined that grilling meats creates chemicals linked to cancer in animals, and you can increase your cancer risk by eating too much grilled red meat or chicken -- or even meat pan-fried at a very high temperature. So stay away from meat or chicken that is well-done or burnt. And try to eat grilled meats only occasionally. Myth #5. The risk of dying from cancer in the United States is increasing. Nope. Sometimes cancer figures are reported out of context, but the actual number of people dying from cancer is dropping. Cancer diagnoses and deaths have been decreasing since the early 1990s -- and less than half of those diagnosed with cancer today will die of the disease. Myth #6. What someone does as a young adult has little impact on their chances of getting cancer later in life. Lifestyle choices that begin early in life can increase the risk of developing cancer. The use of tobacco, diet, exercise, and exposure to the sun all have a cumulative effect, and most cases of cancer are consequences of many years of engaging in risky behaviors. More than two-thirds of all fatal cancer cases could have been prevented with simple lifestyle changes. Clearly, what we do early in life can come back to haunt us. Myth #7. You can prevent skin cancer by putting on one application of sunscreen at the start of each day. Slathering on sunscreen on a daily basis can give a false sense of security. It simply must be reapplied -- and even then, it offers on a certain level of protection. To make sure your skin is safe from UV rays, keep that sunscreen around, but also gather up some hats, long-sleeved shirts, and sunglasses -- and use them. And try to hide from the sun between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

Wrinkles, not skin cancer, scare young sun worshippers

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:00:25 +0000

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Daily news For many young people, the risk of wrinkling is a bigger tanning deterrent than the risk of skin cancer. How's that for some misplaced worry? Now if the wrinkle-worry gets these youngsters to stop tanning, then I'm happy. Still, it amazes me that warnings about skin cancer still are not taken seriously. "We don't know for sure, but there's some suggestive evidence that young people are more influenced by thinking about themselves getting old faster, than thinking about themselves getting a skin cancer," says one doctor. Experts say that perhaps young people see themselves as invincible and don't believe they can really get skin cancer. One young girl, who worried she was starting to look older after regular tanning bed use, says: "Even though skin cancer does run in my family, it was the crow's feet that scared me."

Cancer confronts politics

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:00:49 +0000

Filed under: All Cancers , Politics These days, politics and cancer seem to go hand in hand. In February, United States Representative Charles Norwood , from Augusta, Georgia, died of lung cancer. In March, Virginia Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis revealed the breast cancer she fought in 2005 had recurred. A few days ago Elizabeth Edwards , wife of presidential candidate John Edwards, shared that her own breast cancer, originally diagnosed in 2004, has relocated to her bones. United States Press secretary Tony Snow is a colon cancer survivor. Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is a prostate cancer survivor. Candidate John McCain has had three bouts with melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Bob Dole, now 83, was a cancer survivor at age 73 when he ran for the White House as the 1996 Republican presidential nominee against President Clinton. And the 2004 Democratic nominee, John Kerry, had prostate cancer surgery in 2003. If I did more research, I bet I'd turn up a whole slew of other politicians who have received a direct hit from cancer. But that's not necessary. I think what I'm trying to demonstrate is already clear. Take any sector of society and cancer will somehow be woven into the lives of those who define the population. Athletes and cancer. Celebrities and cancer. Musicians and cancer. Kids and cancer. Young moms and cancer. Men and cancer. Politicians and cancer. This brings me to my next point -- cancer is widespread, so widespread it surfaces over and over again within any given group of people. This makes me sad. But this infiltration of the disease also means none of us is alone. And as a woman with cancer; a young mom with cancer; a wife, a daughter, a sister with cancer; and a writer with cancer, this makes me feel comforted, supported, and utterly strong. Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Thought for the Day: Young women get breast cancer

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:00:35 +0000

Filed under: Brain Cancer , Magazines , Thought for the Day OK, we all know young women get breast cancer. But the way some talk about the pair -- young women and the deadly disease -- it would seem finding a young one living with this type of cancer is like locating that needle in a haystack. Many a young woman -- like me -- have heard doctors and nurses and technicians and family and friends remark, "you are too young for the disease," and then dismiss cancer suspicions as needless worry. The median age for women diagnosed with breast cancer is 65. But think about this fact, published in the Spring/Summer edition of Beyond: Live & Thrive After Breast Cancer . More than 240,000 women in the United States age 40 and under are living with breast cancer. Each year in this country, more than 14,000 women 40 years old and younger are diagnosed with breast cancer, says Boston oncologist Ann Partridge, M.D., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. That's a lot of young women. That's a lot of breast cancer. And yet, mammograms still are not recommended for women under the age of 40. Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Thought for the Day: Headed for melanoma

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:00:27 +0000

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Research , Daily news , Thought for the Day Oh no. I think I 'm headed for melanoma. At the very least, I seem to have a very high risk for developing the disease, thanks to my once-stubborn pursuit of a silly tan. Think about this: A review of seven different studies concludes that using a tanning bed under the age of 35 -- I'm so guilty -- can increase the risk of melanoma by 75 percent. Even those who have ever used indoor tanning were 15 percent more likely to develop the disease. We're talking the deadliest form of skin cancer here. So deadly some experts are recommending strong measures to restrict the use of tanning beds by young people. Adults should be discouraged from tanning, some say, but access should be limited for those under the age of 18. New Jersey already has regulations in place -- those under 14 are banned from tanning salons and anyone between 14 and 18 must have parental consent. If I could turn back time, I would listen to my grandma. She told me the sun -- and tanning beds too -- were no good. But I was young. And I didn't care. Now I'm older. And I care. But it may be too late. It seems this could be one lesson I learn the hard way. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Lesbian and bisexual cancer survivors: Creating Safe Spaces

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 21:25:53 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Young Adult Cancers , Cancer Survivors Unique Issues of Lesbian and Bisexual Cancer Survivors is a panel discussion hosted by the Young Survival Coalition and The Mautner Project . It is a free national teleconference to discuss the unique and various ways a cancer diagnosis affects young lesbian and bisexual women.

Cancer by the Numbers: Testicular Cancer

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 10:00:48 +0000

Filed under: Testicular Cancer , Cancer by the Numbers Testicular cancer, cancer in one or both of the testicles, usually occurs in young men and will strike about 8,250 of these men this year. About 370 men will die. A man's lifetime risk of developing this cancer -- that typically shows up in only one testicle -- is 1 in 300, securing it as one of the less common cancers in the United States. The chances of dying from testicular cancer are 1 in 5,000, making it one of the most curable forms of cancer. Yet it is still the most common form of cancer in men ages 15-34. It is also a cancer commonly characterized by denial and embarrassment. As a result, it is one of the least mentioned cancers.

Digital mammography detects hard-to-catch cancers

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:00:04 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Research , Daily news Technology has come a long way over the years -- and now the technology behind digital mammography is allowing life-saving screenings for the toughest patients to diagnose with breast cancer. This is no small technological breakthough. It is a critical component for lowering the breast cancer death rate the American Cancer Society reports has declined 2.3 percent each year between 1990 and 2002. Since breast cancer is a treatable disease if caught early, digital mammography will up the odds of survival for women with this disease. Digital mammography operates according to a computer-based technique that allows for digital manipulation of a breast X-ray. It exceeds the capability of film mammography -- and is much like the comparison between digital photography versus film photography. Both work. But one works better. Studies show digital mammograms have a lot to offer. They detect tumors better in young women with dense breast tissue, for example. They allow for ease of storage and retrieval of images. And they can easily become part of a woman's electronic medical record. There are still benefits of traditional mammography and women are still urged to use this less expensive option. They are also urged to conduct self-breast exams and to report for clinical exams with physicians. It's the whole package that contributes to comprehensive breast health, not just one isolated test. When used in combination with all other screening methods, digital mammography makes for a more accurate overall picture. Read Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments

Television characters get breast cancer too

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 10:00:17 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Television , Cancer Survivors Celebrities catch our attention. They cause us to pay attention too -- which is likely why the media uses celebrities and prominent people to send messages about all sorts of issues, like breast cancer. It's not just the real-life survivor celebrity stories -- about Melissa Etheridge and Elizabeth Edwards and Sheryl Crow -- that make headlines and attract ratings. It's also the portrayal of cancer survivors on television that raises awareness about this disease. It's not a new trend -- it started long ago when All in the Family's Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton) experienced a breast cancer scare, marking one of the first times the issue of breast cancer was discussed openly on TV. Tough cop Mary Beth Lacey (Tyne Daly) of the TV show Cagney & Lacey traveled a breast cancer journey. Sisters eldest sister Alex (Swoosie Kurtz) was diagnosed with breast cancer and survived chemotherapy with family by her side. Beverly Hills, 90210 character Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) found a lump in her breast and shed light on the fact that young women are not immune to breast cancer. Sex and the City's Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) developed breast cancer and proudly pulled off her wig on television. The L Word's Dana Fairbanks (Erin Daniels) lost her battle with breast cancer. And on Angela's Eyes, FBI agent Angela Henson recently learned her mother once had breast cancer -- and that it has come back. There are many others television story lines woven with the thread of breast cancer. They draw viewers and boost ratings. They also raise awareness -- because people pay attention to celebrities. 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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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

Courage Night honors Geralyn Lucas, breast cancer survivors

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 09:00:42 +0000

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Celebrity fundraisers , Events , Fundraisers , Books , Television Monday night is Courage Night , hosted by the Young Survival Coalition (YSC), national sorority Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA), and Lifetime television. It's a night when Lifetime's Original Movie Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy will air, when crowds will gather in communities and on college campuses across the nation for special screenings and viewing parties of the movie that brings glaring attention to the issue of breast cancer. Courage Night was created in 2004 by Geralyn Lucas, author of the book Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy , as an evening of celebration in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was also a celebration of the publication of her then-new book. Lucas, diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27, recounts in her memoir every step of her cancer journey, including her bold application of red lipstick just before her mastectomy. She knew from the day she was diagnosed she would speak out to help others, to raise awareness, to make a difference. Now 39, a mother of two, and an executive for Lifetime, Lucas is still making waves. And Courage Night lives on. Courage Night has grown into a national grassroots event that honors breast cancer survivors and those lost to the disease. Event fundraising will benefit YSC -- the only organization dedicated to the special issues of young breast cancer survivors.