Pancreatic cancer is cancer that arises in the tissues of the pancreas.The pancreas is a gland that secretes chemicals that help you digest food and derive energy from food. The National Cancer Institute estimates that, in 2009, approximately...
Adjuvant chemotherapy is treatment for cancer that is given in addition to primary treatment, usually surgery. Many kinds of chemotherapeutic drugs abound, and side effects vary according to the type of drug, the dosage, the combination of drugs...
Colon cancer is the result of cells that line the colon developing genetic mutations that cause them to grow uncontrollably. There are a variety of medical treatments that can be used to treat colon cancer. With a combination of surgery,...
The bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae causes potentially serious illnesses, including pneumonia, middle ear infections, meningitis and bacteremia (infection of the blood), and according to the World Health Organization (WHO) causes nearly 1...
Chemotherapy (also known as chemo) is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells or stop cancer cells from growing and dividing. According to the book "Clinical Oncology," the first clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of chemotherapy in...
Breast cancer is the result of a malignant tumor arising in the cells of the breast tissue. Breast cancer can metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body via the invasion of healthy surrounding tissues or by invading the lymphatic system...
According to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, there are two main types of lung cancer. The most common type, which accounts for about 80 percent of lung cancer cases, is the nonsmall cell lung cancer, or NSCLC. The less common type but...
Herbicides target weeds that invade your garden or lawn. The type of herbicide formulation will vary with the herbicide and its intended use. You may need to mix some herbicides with water or another agent for easy application. The product's label...
Women with breast cancer have an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence. To reduce recurrence risk, patients receive adjuvant therapy -- treatments given after primary therapy to improve the chance of long-term survival. One side effect of...
Breast cancer is a result of the cells in the breast developing genetic mutations that cause them to grow abnormally quickly. Although breast cancer predominantly affects women, some men can get this form of cancer as well. Chemotherapy is one...
Stage III melanoma is usually initially treated via surgical removal of the tumor. Stage III melanoma is usually removed using a process called wide excision. Side excision takes away more healthy tissue than other surgical strategies in order to...
Chemotherapy--using toxic drugs to kill fast-dividing cells--is a common cancer treatment. Upon entering a cancer cell, chemotherapy drugs can damage essential molecules such as DNA, inhibit cellular metabolism, and directly induce cancer cell...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among women in the U.S. after lung cancer. Improvements in screening and adequate treatment continue to improve the survival...
Metaplastic squamous cell breast cancer is an exceedingly rare form of the disease, accounting for less than 0.1 percent of breast cancer cases, according to a study published in the journal Onkologie in 2007. Cells in a metaplastic squamous cell...
The National Cancer Institute reports that prior to the year 2000, 5-fluorouracil was the only drug available for use in adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with colon cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes, called stage III colon cancer. (See...
The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is one of two vaccines used to prevent infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae, bacteria that cause middle ear infections, pneumonia, meningitis and bacteremia (infection in the blood). Infections caused by...
Tamoxifen is a synthetic hormone that is an "adjuvant" or helper medication in chemoprevention therapy to prevent breast cancer. Tamoxifen works by blocking estrogen, which is a hormone that tends to increase breast cancer cell growth. According...
Methotrexate is a prescription drug used for the treatment of several illnesses, from psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis to breast cancer. Weight gain is a common side effect associated with methotrexate. According to a PubMed.gov, women treated...
The Mayo Clinic reports that one out of three cancer patients will experience pain. Up to 80 percent of patients with advanced cancer will suffer pain at some point in their disease. Despite the prevalence of pain, it is possible to treat and...
The American Cancer Society, ACS, reports that the number of deaths from breast cancer has been declining in the U.S. since 1990. This decline is said to be due to improved screening methods and awareness, as well as advances in treatment...
There are currently two vaccines approved for use in preventing meningococcal meningitis which is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. The vaccines are the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) and the meningococcal polysaccharide...
The flu, or influenza, vaccine contains a number of ingredients, including preservatives, material of the virus it is protecting against and other agents to assist in the efficacy of the shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...
Caffeine is a chemical substance found primarily in soft drinks, coffee, tea and chocolate. Caffeine is also found in energy drinks, diet pills and certain medications. Once ingested, caffeine enters the bloodstream and travels to the central...
Non-small cell lung cancer in stage IIIB involves cancer of any size that has spread to lymph nodes above the collar bone or the opposite side of the chest and/or to any of the other structures in the chest cavity like the heart, major blood...
Breast cancer is a disease in which cancer cells begin to form in the tissues of the breast and develop into cancerous tumors, especially in the milk-producing ducts and lobules--glands that produce milk. Though far more common in women, it is...
Inflammatory breast cancer is a somewhat rare and very aggressive form of breast cancer. This type of breast cancer causes the breast to become swollen and inflamed, as opposed to the typical lump that most breast cancers cause. Because this type...
Squalene is derived from either the liver oil of deep-water sharks or from olive oil, and is often used in the manufacturing of cosmetic products and vaccines. Squalene acts as an emollient or hydrating agent in cosmetics and is also used to...
Pain is a sensation that causes discomfort. Acute pain can occur after an injury and usually goes away as the body heals. Chronic pain is persistent, often lasts for more than six months and can require prescription medication, according to the...
Squalene oil is a natural substance produced by plants and animals. It is produced by your liver and used in your body as a precursor to cholesterol. It is also present in human sebum, and on the skin it functions as an emollient, preserving...