Finding out that you have skin cancer, or any cancer for that matter, can be quite a shock. Sitting back and trying to figure out where you went wrong won’t help either. It doesn’t matter if you had severe sunburn several times when you were a child or if you regret all those days spent on the beach sunbathing. The time is at hand to figure out a treatment plan and move on.
Likely this plan will begin with surgery to remove the growth and continue on with radiation therapy or chemotherapy. But neither of these may appeal to you. At this point you must decide how practical you are willing to be or perhaps how daring. Most skin cancers diagnosed in the early stages are easily cured with one of the two treatments. Most are non–melanoma and so are not as dangerous. But if it is melanoma that has been diagnosed you may choose to research for yourself some of the alternatives. This is where you must be very careful. There are clinics worldwide that offer treatment alternatives; some of them even have scientific evidence to suggest they are useful. But many do not. Do not allow your need to cloud your judgment.
How many people can forget laetrile? Although some still swear by this miracle cure others will tell you that laetrile has never cured anyone of any kind of cancer and that it is worthless. Which side to take? Laetrile comes from apricot pits. Most often this was prescribed to patients at experimental clinics in Mexico. The doctors then reported results that were so impressive that these were met with the cynical eye of most North American doctors. These clinics reported ninety eight to one hundred percent success rates in the patient’s who had not had chemo or radiation therapies before coming to their clinics.
Instead of looking in that direction for treatment you are better off to make sure your nutritional needs are being met and that you can keep you spirits up. Stay away from sugars as this is like food to growing cancer cells. Eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits; drink lots of water to flush your system. Do things to make you feel better emotionally. Little things to pick up your spirits are as important as the treatment plan you choose.
You could look into becoming part of a clinical trial of some new drug, but the danger here is that you may wind up in the control group and so be no further ahead than you are by following your doctors suggested treatment plan. Sometimes these clinical trials may work out for you. The advance medications that are being tried could be beneficial. But you have to understand that if they are still in the trial stage many will not be successful.
At the stage of being diagnosed the best thing you can do to improve your chances for a positive outcome is to quickly step into a treatment program
Skin cancer is defined as ‘a malignant neoplasm of the skin’. The most common cancer, the risk of skin cancer affects a large cross section of the population, most notably those that have fair skin and freckles. Consequently, it is also relatively preventable when you take the proper precautions. Simply put, skin cancer is often caused by an over-exposure of the body to ultra-violet rays. It doesn’t matter where these rays come from; both the sun and commercial tanning beds give you a heightened risk of developing skin cancer. To most easily prevent your chance of getting this disease, it’s important to take the proper precautions when exposing yourself to the sun. When possible, wear clothing that is tightly woven to avoid the suns rays. A loose fit on your clothes is another way to ensure that as few rays as possible reach your skin. Dark colored clothing is also known to help ward off ultra-violet rays, so all of these precautions should be taken when you are planning to be in the sun for an extended period of time. Also, it is crucial to wear sun screen when exposing your body to the sun’s rays. An SPF value of at least 15 is recommended for those who wish to sun themselves without significantly increasing their risk of developing skin cancer. Also, do your best to avoid exposing yourself to the sun’s rays between 10 AM and 3 PM. These are the hours of the day in which the sun produces the most UV rays, and avoiding sun during these hours is recommended to decrease your likelihood of skin cancer. Your lips should also be protected with an SPF lip balm, since the risk of lip cancer is increased by too much sun exposure. Sunglasses can also be a good idea; they help you to avoid getting too much exposure to the sun on your eyelids, which are sensitive layers of skin which can develop skin cancer just the same as the rest of your body.
There are three types of skin cancer: the two that are most harmless are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. When these cancers are discovered, it is usually possible to treat them without much of a risk, with a full 90% of all carcinomas diagnoses being treated properly. However, there is another, more deadly type of skin cancer, which is known as malignant melanoma. This type of skin cancer can spread to other parts of the body, including the lungs and the liver, and can be very difficult to treat. While this cancer can be removed with a high success rate when caught early, advanced cases of melanoma can be very difficult to treat. Melanoma accounts for a full 75% of all skin cancer cases which result in death. If melanoma is diagnosed while in an early stage, treatment can be very simple and the risk of death is low. However, the longer you wait, the more exponential the risk of death grows.
Breast reconstruction is rarely done with only one surgery. Even if you have the procedure started during your mastectomy, you will still need to have a second procedure. Breast reconstruction procedures include breast implants, tissue expanders, and tissue reconstruction.
Breast implants are silicone shells filled with either saltwater or silicone. They are either tear shaped or round and it is placed behind the pectoral muscle in your chest. This is similar to the procedure when a breast expansion is done. Most women will need to have tissue expanders placed in the chest area before the implant is placed.
Tissue expanders stretch the remaining tissue to allow room for the implant. Tissue expansion will take place over several months. The tissue expander has a small valve that your doctor will use to insert saline solution in with a needle. The balloon is filled gradually and allows the skin to stretch. There may be a feeling of pressure or slight discomfort while the tissues are expanding.
Once the expander has reached the correct size, the doctor performs a second operation to put in the permanent implant. Some doctors use an expander that will be permanent and a second surgery won’t be needed. An implant may be inserted into the other side of the breast area to insure both breasts are similar in size and shape.
Another procedure uses tissue reconstruction. This method is complex but does have its positive points. Using tissue from your own body removes any danger from leakage of the saline filled balloon, or any reaction from the silicone. Women are given two choices of surgical methods. The first method transfers muscle, skin, and fat to the chest area by keeping it all attached to the blood supply. This is pedicle flap surgery. Tunnels beneath the skin carry this tissue to the chest area and its moved into a pocket your surgeon has prepared for the implant.
The second procedure removes the tissue from the area while disconnecting it from its blood supply. The surgeon then reattaches the tissue with microsurgery to the blood vessels near your chest. This procedure takes longer to perform because of the delicate nature of reattaching all the blood vessels. This procedure is called the free flap surgery.
Tissue used for the free flap surgery can be taken from donor areas from your back, buttocks, or abdomen. Taking the tissue from the abdomen can serve a duo purpose because it takes excess muscle, fat, and tissue from the abdomen and is considered a little “tummy tuck.” This may appeal to some women who have excess fat and tissue in their abdomen area. This procedure takes a small portion of the abdominal muscle to allow you to keep as much abdominal strength as possible after surgery. The appeal of the “tummy tuck” sways many women to choose for this second procedure even though it may mean a longer time in the operating room.
Consult your doctor and plastic surgeon for help in choosing the best method of reconstruction for your body.
Scientists and doctors are already aware of the affect that diet has on your risk factor for cancer. Now they are looking into the effects that diet has after you have had treatment for breast cancer. Studies are being done to discover if changing your diet after you have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer.
There have only been two studies that looked into the relationship to a person’s diet and their survival rate after breast cancer. The results of those two studies look promising, but more studies will need to be done to decide if there is a connection. One early study looked at the survival rate of women who enrolled in a special study involving diet had amazing results. Women who had breast cancer that had not spread or metastasized who ate large amounts of poultry, total protein, and omega-3 fatty acids had a much lower rate of death than those whose diet didn’t include those three foods. Those women who ate a diet high in fiber, fish and vegetables also had a significant drop in death rate.
Higher rates of calcium in the body, and who ate more protein had a lower death rate than those who consumed large quantities of hydrogenated oils. Those oils are found in processed and baked foods.
Another study of a smaller group of women showed that women who had breast cancer that had not metastasized had a lower death rate if they were postmenopausal, ate more vegetables, and got more vitamin C from their diet. It is important to remember that both of these studies were in women that cancer that was not metastasized. This is an important discovery in cancer research. More studies will need to be conducted before it can be said clearly that what you eat can reduce your risk of dying of breast cancer.
The studies suggest that those women who ate more poultry and fish and less hydrogenated oils had a higher survival rate than the other group. Poultry has been determined to be a healthier choice for protein than red meat. The studies may show that women who ate healthier usually had a more active lifestyle. Those who consumed more hydrogenated oil seemed less concerned about health issues. This difference in two lifestyles may have had an affect on the women involved in the studies.
Breast cancer survival rates also seemed affected by the fat consumed, especially about tumor cells found in lymph nodes. The results of the studies show that eating a healthier diet can reduce your chances of dying of breast cancer.
Eating healthy and having a healthier, more active lifestyle has shown that it does decrease your risk of getting breast cancer and increases your chances of surviving the disease.
These studies could be very important because your diet after your diagnosis and treatment is under your control. If you knew that changing your diet can increase your life span after diagnosis, would you be willing to change it?