The prostate is a small gland that sits at the bottom of the bladder in males. It is responsible for producing semen and controlling the flow of urine out of the body. When cancer develops, it is usually detected through routine tests like a...
Prostate cancer develops in the prostate gland, a small structure that is part of a man's reproductive organs. Radiation therapy--beams of energy used to kill cancer cells--is one form of treatment for prostate cancer.
Brachytherapy for prostate cancer is a permanent form of internal radiation therapy used to kill cancerous cells in the prostate gland. During this type of surgical cancer treatment, a surgeon implants radioactive seeds into the prostate gland....
After prostate cancer is diagnosed and staged, doctors will discuss the various plans for treatment that are right for your particular situation. There are various options for treatment, depending on the extent of the cancer, and if prostatectomy...
Because brachytherapy involves radioactive materials, there are safety rules to follow when visiting a patient that has undergone the procedure. In brachytherapy, radioactive seeds are implanted in a patient's body to kill cancer tumors or reduce...
Radiation is one common treatment option for prostate cancer, and it comes in two basic forms, according to RadiologyInfo.org, a service of the Radiology Society of North America and the American College of Radiology. External beam therapy, or...
The liver is an organ that helps the intestines absorb nutrients, and stores nutrients the body needs to function properly, according to the American Cancer Society. It also helps to remove wastes from the body and helps make clotting factors that...
The prostate, part of the male reproductive system, is a gland that is responsible for producing parts of the seminal fluid. Next to skin cancers, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men, and according to the American Cancer...
Occurring most often in women over the age of 30, cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers to affect a woman's reproductive organs. According to the Mayo Clinic, the death rate from cervical cancer has decreased significantly over the...
In 2009, approximately 192,280 new diagnoses of prostate cancer were made in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. The prostate is part of the male reproductive system. It is a gland that surrounds the urethra and makes...
Radiation treatments for cancer include external beam radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy treatments. When patients receive external beam radiation treatments, they are not radioactive and no precautions for the family are necessary....
Brachytherapy delivers radiation internally by implanting radioactive "seeds" about the size of a small grain of rice. The radiation damages the cell's DNA, triggering cell death. According to the American Cancer Society, there are two types of...
The vagina, also called the birth canal, is a three- to four-inch tube that goes from the cervix to the vulva, the external female genitals. It is lined with layers of cells, and when cancer forms in these layers, it is called vaginal cancer. It...
Men with prostate cancer may undergo radiation therapy to treat the condition. This therapy may include placing radiation seeds into the site near the tumor. The procedure, referred to as radiation brachytherapy, internal radiation therapy,...
Your bladder is the small organ that stores your urine. Bladder cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells begin to grow and spread within the lining of the bladder wall. Symptoms of bladder cancer may include painful urination, blood in your urine...
Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams of subatomic particles to kill cancer cells. According to the American Cancer Society, radiation therapy for colon cancer may be used before or after surgery, and with or without chemotherapy.
The endometrium is the lining of a woman's uterus. Endometrial cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells begin to grow and spread in the uterus. Signs and symptoms of endometrial cancer include abnormal vaginal bleeding, uterine cramping, painful...
Endometrial cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells invade the inside lining of the uterus (endometrium) and begin to grow and spread. Endometrial cancer may be discovered by pap smear, endometrial biopsy, and dilation and curettage (D&C)....
The most common way of administering radiation as a cancer treatment is called external beam radiation. With this kind of treatment, a device (called a linear accelerator) is used to make high energy X-ray beams which are then aimed at the tumor....
Cervical cancer is a disease where malignant cancer cells begin to grow and spread in the cervix.The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus (the hollow, pear-shaped organ where a fetus grows), according to the National Cancer Institute. One...
Gastric cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells begin to grow and spread inside the lining of the stomach. Over time these cells may begin to spread outside of the stomach to the surrounding tissues and lymph nodes. Although there is no known...
Breast cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer are just three types of cancers among many. Although the severity and locations of these cancers vary, the foundation for treatment does not waiver because three common types of treatment are used. In...
Colorectal cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells begin to grow and spread in the colon or rectum. In the United States, it is the fourth most common cancer in men and women but, when caught early, it is often curable, reports Medline Plus, a...
Carcinoma of the cervix is another term for cervical cancer. Cervical cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells begin to grow and multiply within the tissue of the cervix. Signs and symptoms of cervical cancer may include abnormal vaginal...
Radiation therapy is often used in breast cancer and involves the use of high-energy rays (similar to x-rays) to kill cancer cells. These cancer cells may be in the breast, the chest wall or the underarm area, and radiation can be used after...
Cancer is a common form of liver and lung disease. It occurs as malignant cancer cells begin to grow and spread within the tissues of these organs. Cancer may appear in both the liver and lungs as a primary disease, meaning the cancer originates...
Gastrointestinal cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells begin to grow and spread within the intestinal tract. The intestinal tract is composed of the small intestine, large intestine, colon, and rectum. The treatment for gastrointestinal cancer...
According to MayoClinic.com, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, claiming more lives than colon, prostate, ovarian, lymph and breast cancers combined. Lung cancer may be asymptomatic in its early stages....
Breast cancer is staged according to its ability to invade surrounding tissues and by how far it has spread to other organs. Stage IV breast cancer is cancer that has already spread to other organs, usually the bones, lungs, brain or liver,...
