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If you’re scheduled for a prostate biopsy, your doctor is likely testing a tumor for cancer. During this outpatient procedure, tissue will be removed from the tumor using a needle. It will then be analyzed by a pathologist, a doctor who reviews the results of the biopsy and provides information about the findings. The results of your biopsy are provided in a pathology report. Your oncologist or urologist will use the pathology report as a key piece of information in determining if cancer is present and the stage, based on the cell structure in the tumor. It will also play a key role in...

What is the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout? It's an annual event, held the third Thursday of every November, a date on which smokers nationwide are asked to give up smoking. Quitting for just one day helps you take action toward a healthier life, and reduce your lung cancer risk. Each year, the Great American Smokeout calls attention to the deaths, lung cancer diagnoses and other chronic diseases that smoking causes, and how to prevent them. As a result of this event, there have been actions taken towards reducing the health impacts that smoking can...

The Gleason Score is more than likely one of the first things your doctor will discuss if you have received a prostate cancer diagnosis. That’s because it’s used to explain the stage of prostate cancer you have. Let’s discuss prostate cancer, the purpose of the Gleason Score, how it is calculated, and why it is so important.   What is Prostate Cancer? The prostate is a gland found only in males that lies just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. Prostates in younger men are about the size of walnuts but tend to become larger as they age. It serves two main...

For a man or woman in their childbearing years, a cancer diagnosis can come with a scary thought: will having children be possible? Fortunately, with improvements in treatment and fertility preservation options, having a baby after remission can become a reality for many cancer survivors.  The Risks of Infertility After Cancer When it comes to whether or not you’re at risk for infertility after cancer, there really is no one-size-fits-all answer. Overall, the chances of remaining fertile depend on a variety of factors including the cancer type, the treatments you received, how your body...

Even though statistics show 1 in 8 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, there is hope on the horizon. Overall, survival rates continue to rise and women are living longer after beating the disease. In order to keep this momentum, however, which can lead to improved care and better outcomes, it’s necessary to continue advancing our understanding of the disease through research. Breast cancer research opens the door to finding better ways to prevent, detect, and treat breast cancer, and to improve the quality of life of both cancer patients and survivors. From studying...

If you're recovering from breast cancer, the medicines that are part of your treatment program can have unwanted effects. You and your oncologist have chosen a path for your breast cancer treatment, but it's also important to add things to your routine that will help you feel better both mentally and physically. These are called complementary therapies. Yoga is an exercise and breathing therapy that has been proven to help breast cancer patients and survivors. What is Yoga? Originating in India over 5,000 years ago, yoga began as a complete lifestyle that combined exercise...

By: Lori McNeill Do you ever feel like you were meant to do something ... as if your life has guided you toward serving a particular purpose? Or even that you’ve come full circle from one point in your life to a similar place, but as a changed person from the journey? “I’m a spiritual person, and I believe God brought me full circle,” said Mareta Childs, Founder and Executive Director of Loving Hands of Healing Hope, a Tucson non-profit that provides spa services to those going through cancer treatments. Mareta does seem to have come full circle to bring an idea to fruition: from supporting...

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in this United States, but it is also one of the most preventable. With the heat and activity of the summer months still upon us, it is important to be proactive in protecting your skin from the sun and other sources of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.  UV rays are invisible to the naked eye and are more intense in the summer, at higher altitudes, and in areas closer to the equator. Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes sunburn (erythema), skin cancer, premature aging (skin wrinkling), cataracts (gradual clouding of the...

Prostate cancer and testicular cancer are two different diseases affecting the male reproductive system. These cancers occur in two different locations and commonly affect men at different stages of their life. Because of these differences, it’s important for ALL men to learn as much as they can so they can take the appropriate steps toward early detection.  What is Prostate Cancer?  Prostate cancer is cancer that occurs in the prostate, the small walnut-shaped gland in men that produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm. It is the most common cancer with...

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer. This cancer, which accounts for 1% to 5% of all breast cancer diagnoses in the United States, forms in the cells that line the breasts’ milk ducts, but quickly spreads to nearby lymph nodes and sometimes, to other tissues in the body. The cancer is called “inflammatory” because the cancer cells usually block the lymph vessels in the breast. This blockage causes a buildup of fluid, which then leads to inflammation that is usually red and tender to the touch.  How Does Inflammatory Breast Cancer Differ From...