Archive - March 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 12:19pm
Multiple Myeloma is the second most common type of hematologic cancer, or cancer found in the cells of blood or bone marrow. Because March is National Myeloma Awareness Month, I’d like to take this opportunity to share some basic information about the disease.
Myeloma is cancer of the plasma cells, which are found in your bone marrow. The normal function of plasma cells is to produce antibodies that help you fight off infections. In a patient with...
Thursday, March 22, 2012 - 12:28pm
March is National Nutrition Month. We all know our eating habits have a definitive impact on our overall health. For cancer patients, nutrition is especially important as it plays an essential role in the healing and recovery process.
As part of a team of Registered Dietitians at Roswell Park, I work with patients to help them maintain optimal nutrition before, during and after cancer treatment. Our team is available to patients in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.
Outpatient...
Friday, March 16, 2012 - 4:05pm
A diagnosis of cancer changes your life, and the lives of those closest to you, forever. It impacts you physically, emotionally, socially … every way imaginable.
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. This type of care is focused on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness--whatever the diagnosis.
The goal of our team is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists...
Thursday, March 8, 2012 - 1:15pm
Each year, more than 50,000 people die of colorectal cancer. The good news is that death rates are on a steady decline, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) projects that the 2020 death rate will be 50% lower than the 2000 rate. That forecast is based on the assumption that more people will take advantage of colon cancer screening, fewer people will smoke, consumption of red meat will decline, and more effective chemotherapy drugs will be introduced.
In order to protect yourself against colorectal cancer, you need the facts.
Myth 1: Colon cancer is a white man...
Thursday, March 1, 2012 - 2:23pm
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. It’s the perfect opportunity to find out what you should know about colorectal cancer, the third most common type of cancer in men and women.
A great place to start is understanding the screening techniques and your personal screening needs. Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer thanks to screening tools, such as the colonoscopy. As a nurse practitioner in the gastrointestinal clinic at Roswell Park, I often work with patients who are having a colonoscopy. I can tell you, even from personal experience...
Thursday, March 1, 2012 - 10:59am
Scott Hangauer knows all too well the consequences of using indoor tanning beds.
He has the scar to prove it.
At age 27, Scott is a melanoma survivor. Delighted with his new bronze glow after returning from a Spring-break vacation in Florida, he started tanning at age 16 to maintain the look. Getting his driver’s license made sneaking away to the tanning salon even easier.
The son of a medical professional, Scott neglected to heed warnings from his parents about the health risks associated with the ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by tanning beds.
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