February 22, 2012

Cancer Deaths are on the Decline

The American Cancer Society says prevention efforts are working and medicine is getting better at treating cancer. The latest report from the organization shows that cancer rates continue to decline in the United States. Research shows that almost 1 million cancer deaths have been prevented in the last 20 years.

The cancer study compared statistics on deaths between 1990 and 2007 which is the latest year for which data is available. Over that period of time, the cancer death rate declined by just over 20% for men and by almost 15% for women. The discrepancy between the decline for men and women has directly to do with smoking. The Cancer Society says research shows that women have been slower to give up cigarettes than men and that is why their cancer death rate is not falling as fast.

One area where great progress has been made in cancer deaths among women is breast cancer. The campaigns which push early detection are clearly having positive results. Breast cancer is still the number two cause of cancer deaths among women but the number of deaths has been steadily declining by about 3% per year since 1990. The five year survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer is now 90%. You can find more about preventing cancer at medikalfizikder.org.

The new cancer study shows that prevention efforts are the key to reducing cancer death rates even more. Public service campaigns to encourage people to quite smoking must continue along with campaigns encouraging people to be screened for colon and breast cancer. We can put up our very own security systems against this dreadful diseas. The tests are simple and an early diagnosis will improve the patient’s odds of surviving.

 

 

Filed Under: Medical Care Research Tagged With: , ,

Treating Cancer with Radiation Therapy

Treating Cancer with Radiation Therapy

Over 50% of the world population that suffers from cancer is being treated with the use of radiation therapy. This is one kind of cancer treatment where tumors are shrunk in order to put an end to growth and spreading of cancerous cells. Read on to get the right facts about radiation therapy, exactly what it is, and more.

The disease of cancer is one that basically causes abnormal cell growth in an uncontrolled manner. Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill these cancer cells, prevent their growth, and prevent their multiplication.

The rays are directed in a manner to focus on the cancer tissues rather than the healthy tissues surrounding them. This is because as the radiation kills out the cancer, there is a possibility that it will harm normal cells too.  The plus side is that regular cells are very likely to recover from radiation side effects. However, doctors still make it a point to protect the good cells while treating a patient with radiotherapy.

The majority of normal people have been exposed to X-ray radiation before at least once in their live. This is usually in the form of X-rays at a dentist’s office. As you can tell from that experience, radiotherapy is a painless procedure. The only difference with cancer radiotherapy is that the radiation is delivered in much higher doses to actually kill out the cancer cells and shrink the tumors.

A doctor that specializes in use of radiation for cancer treatment is called a radiation oncologist. The oncologist works together with other professionals in the health care field to decide upon the recommended dose and type of radiation therapy that will treat the specific patient’s cancer best.

Filed Under: Medical Care Technology Tagged With: , ,

Medical Physics and Fighting Cancer

Medical Physics and Fighting Cancer

The study of medical physics has contributed significantly to the treatment procedures and diagnosis used in fighting cancer. Use of a particle accelerator is one of these means. Within the past fifty years, medical physicists have hit the bulls’ eye with application and development of particle accelerators in the context of cancer treatment. Something that once was limited to physics labs only, linear accelerators are high tech machinery that are capable of delivering energetic electron beams or X-rays particularly to malignant tumors. This is, of course, done in doses that have the ability to kill cancerous cells as well as prevent further growth of the tumor.

In the past few years, a new and more advanced technique for treatment has risen. It enhances the ability of the radiations to control tumors and is known as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Computer programs are used to specifically shape the field for the treatment as well as control the beams from the accelerator so that the maximum possible radiation dose gets to the tumor. At the same time, it is important that minimized doses are delivered to the healthy tissues surrounding the cancer cells. IMRT keeps this fact in consideration. IMRT has already begun to be used in treatment of brain cancer, prostate cancer, neck and head and other cancerous diseases, both in adults and children.

Use of medical physics and technology has also helped improve prevention of breast cancer. Scientists have come a long way from the original film methods were introduced. Breast imaging techniques are now substantially advanced. Earlier used emulsion films have been replaced with a more responsive stock of films. Eventually, these have gone out of use as well, and digital imaging is currently being used in its place.

MRI breast imaging has proven to be very useful in the locating of cancerous growths in women, especially in young ladies and at an earlier stage.

Filed Under: Medical Care Technology Tagged With: , ,