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We are all familiar with side effects of chemotherapy like hair loss and stomach upset, but did you know that taste changes are also a common side effect? Almost half of people who undergo chemotherapy experience a change in their sense of taste. From too sweet to too bitter, chemotherapy can affect how foods and drink taste.
What Taste Changes Occur During Chemotherapy?
Not all people will develop taste changes during chemotherapy. Certain chemotherapy drugs are more likely to cause it than others. Drugs such as carboplatin, cisplatin, doxorubisin, gemcitabine, and paclitaxel are known to cause taste change.

Taste changes can occur a few hours after completing a round of chemotherapy or days after. It varies from person to person, and there is no way to predict when it may occur. When people do experience taste changes, they generally experience any of four different taste sensations, such as: * bitter * metallic * loss of taste * sweet
What Can My Doctor Do About My Taste Changes?
Unfortunately, there is not much your doctor can do to prevent taste changes caused by chemotherapy. Even so, it is very important that you let your doctor know about any side effects of treatment you are experiencing — even taste changes. Side effects involving taste changes can lead to weight loss. When foods taste differently, you can develop an aversion to certain foods or eating altogether, which can cause weight loss and malnutrition.
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Symptoms of Cancer
A broad spectrum of non-specific cancer symptoms may include:

* Persistent Fatigue: Fatigue is one of the most commonly experienced cancer symptoms. It is usually more common when the cancer is advanced, but still occurs in the early stages of some cancers. Anemia is commonly the culprit — a condition that is associated with many types of cancer, especially types affecting the bowel. Fatigue is a symptom of both malignant and non-malignant conditions and should be evaluated by a physician.

* Unintentional Weight Loss: While it may be a welcome surprise to lose weight without trying, it can be a red flag for many illnesses, including cancer. Losing 10 pounds or more unintentionally definitely warrants a visit to the doctor. This type of weight loss can occur with or without loss of appetite. Remember, weight loss can be a symptom of cancer, but is also a symptom of many other illnesses, too.

* Pain Typically, pain is not an early symptom of cancer, except in some cancer types like those that spread to the bone. Pain generally occurs when cancer spreads and begins to affect other organs and nerves.

Lower pack pain is cancer symptom that is associated with ovarian cancer and colon cancer. Shoulder pain can also be a symptom of lung cancer. Pain in the form of headaches can be associated with brain tumors (malignant and benign).

Stomach pains can be related to types of cancer, like stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, and many others. Stomach pain can be a very vague symptom because so many illnesses can cause stomach pain.

* Fever: A fever is a very non-specific symptom of many mild to severe conditions, including cancer. In relation to cancer, a fever that is persistent or one that comes and goes frequently can signal stress on the immune system. Fevers are commonly associated with types of cancer that affects the blood, like leukemia and lymphoma, but are also common in people whose cancer has spread.

* Bowel Changes: If you experience constipation, diarrhea, blood in the stools, gas, thinner stools, or just a general overall change in bowel habits, see your doctor. These symptoms are most commonly associated with colon cancer, but are also related to other cancer types.

* Chronic Cough: A persistent, new cough or a cough that won’t go away or becomes worse needs to be evaluated by a doctor. Blood and/or mucus may accompany the cough and can be caused many conditions. In relation to cancer, a chronic cough with blood or mucus can be symptom of lung cancer.

Keep in mind that these are very general, vague symptoms of cancer. If you have one or two of these symptoms, it is not a red flag for cancer but more an indication to your doctor to run certain medical tests. The symptoms listed above are experienced by most people with cancer at various stages of their disease, but are also linked to many other non-cancerous conditions. For more specific cancer symptoms, see below for symptom information about several types of cancer.
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Question: Do organic fruits and vegetables prevent cancer?
I recently started eating an all-organic diet. Will eating organic fruits and vegetables better reduce my risk of cancer than eating non-organic ones?
Answer: First, you should know that organic and non-organic foods are equal in nutritional value. The organic banana you ate this morning will not provide better nutrition than the non-organic banana you passed up at the supermarket. Previous studies have shown that organic fruits and vegetables were packed with a higher nutritional content, but these studies have been debated and refuted. If there is a nutritional content advantage, then it is likely to be very marginal and not make much of a difference.

However, organic fruits and vegetables have not been exposed to pesticides and chemicals, which some consumers believe may be harmful to their health. So, will eating non-organic fruits and vegetables cause cancer?

The chemicals used in non-organically grown foods have been thoroughly studied. The consensus among major peer-reviewed studies is that consuming non-organic fruits and vegetables is not harmful to your health. However, this is debated by organic food advocates, and some people refuse to believe that these foods are safe to consume. With the scientific data that is available to us today, consumers need to make a personal choice of whether to buy organic or not. There is no evidence that would force the FDA and USDA to change their regulations about the use of pesticides and other chemicals in agricultural production.

When used in the wrong capacity, pesticides and herbicides can be harmful to your health. However, the amount of chemical residue found on fruits and vegetables is low. Most experts agree the nutritional benefits of eating fruits and vegetables outweigh the risk of consuming chemical residue on non-organically grown produce. It is important to always wash your fruits and vegetables before consuming them, however.
The American Cancer Society’s Stance on Organic Food

The American Cancer Society recommends a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables to help reduce your risk of cancer. Here’s what they have to say about organically grown produce:

“The term organic is popularly used to designate plant foods grown without pesticides and genetic modifications. At this time, no research exists to demonstrate whether such foods are more effective in reducing cancer risk than are similar foods produced by other farming methods.”
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Medicinal Marijuana and Cancer Treatment
How Medicinal Marijuana Can Ease Cancer Treatment Side Effects

The use of medicinal marijuana is one of the most highly debated and controversial drug reform policy issues. It is strongly supported in the medical community by both patients and medical professionals as a relief to cancer treatment side effects, glaucoma, depression, and other health conditions. Others strongly oppose its medicinal use, claiming it is highly addictive and a gateway drug.

More states are adopting compassionate laws towards medicinal marijuana, and with the 2009 guidelines set forth by the U.S. Attorney General that discourage prosecution of medicinal marijuana users in certain states, many patients are choosing marijuana over pharmaceutical drugs to relieve symptoms and side effects.

*Please note that the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is still illegal in most states. Information contained in this article does not encourage or discourage the use of medicinal marijuana - it simply states the medical facts for patients wanting to learn more.
How Can Medicinal Marijuana Help Me?
Nausea, vomiting, pain, and insomnia are just a few of the side effects of cancer treatment. Most people can tolerate these reactions for a short amount of time, but when these side effects become chronic, it can cripple your quality of life and jeopardize your health. Medicinal marijuana may provide immediate, controlled relief to those suffering from nausea, appetite loss, depression, and some types of pain. The drug can be smoked, vaporized, infused in teas, or baked into foods.

Many anti-medicinal marijuana activists argue that there are pharmaceutical drugs that can combat these side effects of treatment just as well. However, many of these medications have their own side effects that may require additional medication to combat. Plus, it is difficult to keep down oral medications when you are experiencing nausea and/or vomiting. Medicinal marijuana is supported in the oncology community to ease the side effects of cancer treatment.

How Does Medicinal Marijuana Work?
Marijuana contains a compound called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that binds to specific receptors in the brain, which produces a relaxation effect in the body. Some people have more of these receptors in their brain and respond better to the effects of THC than others.

Marinol (dronabinol), a drug that contains synthetic THC, is available by prescription. For some people, the drug is effective against nausea and vomiting. However, it is very expensive and is not included in many prescription coverage formularies. Out-of-pocket costs can exceed $800 a month with average use. It is not effective in everyone and relief is not immediate. It can take 45 minutes to two hours to see the effects of Marinol.

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How Long After Treatment Began Did You Lose Your Hair?

My hair starting shedding 21/2 weeks after taxotere/cytoxen infusion.

Did You Lose It Gradually or Very Quickly?

One morning I found handfuls of hair in the shower. It fell out quickly.

What Was Your First Reaction When You Noticed the Loss?

S—, the reality of cancer is now seen on the outside. I was devastated at the thought of losing my hair. However, I maintained a positive attitude because I knew my attitude would have a powerful impact on my recovery.

Were You Tempted to Shave Your Head? Did You Do It?

Yes, I was tempted to shave my head, but my wise hairdresser made the decision for me. He cut my hair short and left the rest to fall out on its own. This was a good decision because the side burn hair stayed and looked natural under head coverings, and I did not appear bald.

Did You Choose to Wear a Head Covering or Not?

Yes, I am still wearing head coverings. It takes about 6 months for hair to grow 3 inches or 1/2 inch a month after treatment. I did not want people to feel sorry for me, so I was determined to look my best. Headwear has become a passion with me. I found if you take a basic headwrap and top it with a colorful scarf or hat the casual observer would have to look carefully to realize I was not merely dressing in high style.

How Did Losing Your Hair Affect Your Everyday Life?

My daily life is the same wearing fashionable head coverings. The professional world and friends treat you as a sick person instead of the same person you were, who is trying to regain her health. Looking fashionable gives me confidence to continue a normal life. I realize the importance of looking good.

Advice

* The best fabrics to use for head wraps are cotton, rayon, challis, and cotton blends. Silk and polyester are elegant, but tend to slip and will not stay securely on your head. Instructions for a Basic Headwrap are: 1) Lay a square scarf (36″x36″) flat; wrong side facing you. Fold scarf into a triangle and place the scarf folded about 1 inch below your natural hairline. Tie the ends into a square knot behind your head over the triangle point. The flap should be beneath the knot. 2) Pull any excess scarf from under the knot so you have fullness. Wear the scarf with ends loose or tie in a classy bow. Hugs to You!

Sophisticated statistical analysis showed a linear increase in mortality with incrementally higher numbers of circulating tumor cells across hormone receptor and HER2 receptor status groups, according to Antonio Giordano, MD, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues.

The researchers discussed their findings here at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference.

In women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer for example, the hazard ratio for death rose with the number of these cells per 7.5 ml blood (compared to none), as follows:

* 1.022 with one to four circulating tumor cells.
* 1.087 with five to nine circulating tumor cells.
* 1.163 with 10 to 19 circulating tumor cells.
* 1.359 with 20 to 39 circulating tumor cells.
* 1.989 with 40 to 99 circulating tumor cells (P<0.05).
* 5.054 with 100 or more circulating tumor cells (P<0.05).

These results suggest that the conventional threshold of five such cells per 7.5 ml of peripheral blood “probably does not adequately represent the complexity of this prognostic variable,” the researchers concluded.

Still, Giordano did not recommend abolishing the current cutoff based on the results a single study, even though it involved a more powerful statistical analysis that controlled for more covarying factors than previous work.

Thresholds can be useful in making treatment decisions, he acknowledged in an interview. However, he said, the continuous nature of the risk found in the study may open up opportunities for more accurate prognosis at the individual patient level, determining how aggressively to treat.

Conference co-chair Angelo Di Leo, MD, PhD, of the Hospital of Prato, Italy, called the findings important, given the clear heterogeneity among metastatic breast cancers.

“The big hope is that with these new tools — including circulating tumor cells — we can better characterize from a biological point of view metastatic breast cancer,” Di Leo said at a press conference.

He likewise agreed that this would give clinicians an advantage in determining the duration and most effective treatment.

However, it possible that simply looking at the DNA or other circulating markers might be better than trying to isolate viable cells with a short half-life, commented John Bartlett, PhD, of the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, who was the study discussant at the IMPAKT session.

Most centers don’t have access to the sort of “Artificial Neural Network” that the authors used for computing in the study, but Giordano said he envisioned it as an online resource which physicians could use to calculate risk for a patient by entering 10 patient characteristics.

The threshold for determining high versus low risk with regard to circulating tumor cells has been debated — with some researchers thinking about an any-versus-none threshold and others suggesting a plateau above 10 or 15 cells, Giordano explained in an interview.

These cells are seen as a measure of tumor burden, he noted.

His group retrospectively analyzed outcomes for 516 consecutive metastatic breast patients evaluated at M.D. Anderson, all of whom had circulating tumor cells measured by Cell Search before any line of new treatment was started.
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Symptoms of Fingernail Disorders During Chemotherapy
“Onycholysis”Onycholysis: loose fingernails caused by docetaxel.
Nails may darken or turn yellow, become brittle and crack easily. Six or more high-dose cycles of taxanes may cause nails to fall off. Dark or light lines (Beau’s lines) may develop across the width of some of your nails. Nails may develop a concave, spoon-like shape (koilonychia). Infections under your nails are also possible. If your nails are becoming loose, they may become quite painful.
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Nausea is one the most common side effects of chemotherapy. It can also be one of the most miserable ones. Although nausea may seem like a harmless side effect of chemotherapy, it can lead to a loss of appetite. In turn, a loss of appetite can result in dehydration, which can be serious. Nausea can be common for someone undergoing chemotherapy, but pleae note that not all people will experience it. Several measures can be taken to relieve nausea through dietary changes and anti-nausea medication.
Tips for Managing Nausea During Chemotherapy
1. Eat small meals throughout the day. It is easier to keep down small amounts of food when you are nauseated than a large amounts, even when you feel really hungry. Wait until the nausea has passed before attempting to eat larger amounts.

2. Do not eat fatty, greasy foods right before or during treatment. Fatty and greasy foods are often difficult to digest in the first place, let alone with bouts of nausea. Plus, another goal is to keep the food you eat down, and greasy foods can often make nausea worse, leading to vomiting.

3. Rest after eating, but do not lay completely flat. Try laying in an upright position or in a recliner. This will aid in digestion.

4. Avoid strong scents or odors. This may mean no cooking in the home for the rest of the family while you are at home. You may want to dine out for some meals to avoid scent or food aversions.

5. Avoid your favorite foods during treatment if you are experiencing nausea. Your body may learn to associate these foods with nausea and vomiting, a condition called a conditioned food aversion. This may make them difficult to eat when you are feeling less nauseous.

6. Talk to your doctor about your nausea. Most people undergoing chemotherapy need to drink large amounts of fluids a day and if you are vomiting, this is not being achieved. Your doctor may be able to prescribe for anti-nausea medications for nausea.

7. No smoking. Some people continue to smoke during treatment, but this habit can easily upset the stomach, worsening the nausea. If you are having trouble kicking the habit during treatment, talk to your doctor. Several smoking cessation therapies are available to help you in your quest to quit.

9. Drink fluids at room temperature. Cold or warm beverages may increase or trigger nausea in already sensitive stomachs.
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Memorial Day — a tradition followed at many national cemeteries today. In recent years, the custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.

The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.”

National Moment of Remembrance

To ensure the sacrifices of America ’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.

The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”
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Who said, “I am glad I had cancer, it made me a better person?” Well, that is true; however, how much better and wiser can I be? I have just been diagnosed with breast cancer for a third time! The front-line battle to escape the enemy tells the story:

In 1993 at the age of 47, I had a routine mammogram, and I was diagnosed with an estrogen-negative ductal cell carcinoma. I had many heart-wrenching issues to face. I was confronted with my own mortality. I underwent ten months of FAC chemotherapy after a mastectomy and tram flap reconstruction. [Dr. Mark Shusterman, my plastic surgeon from Houston, Texas is a skilled artist and wonderful physician]. You would think that would be enough for one person to endure..however, there is more to my story.

I was diagnosed 1 year after my husband was diagnosed with renal cell cancer. We were both in treatment at the same time. Unfortunately, my husband was not a survivor, and passed away one month after my last chemotherapy treatment. Although I suffered both emotional and physical pain during that time, the wonderful memories of having a loving partner in battle gave me great strength. We were both angry, but our mutual anger turned to peace. We spent more and more time at the beach looking at sunrises and sunsets, listening to the waves crashing on the shore, hearing the sound of seagulls, focusing on the preciousness of life’s moments.

I survived 8 years cancer-free, enjoying my creative talents, helping cancer patients look fashionable and feel better about themselves. Then, you guessed it..I went in for a routine mammogram and was diagnosed with in situ ductal cell carcinoma to the healthy breast. The same fears surfaced as when I was first diagnosed …a cancer-free existence with a bright future now overshadowed by a dark cloud from the past. My decision was to have a lumpectomy with six weeks of radiation..I thought that would end my battles. I was widowed and scarred but remained hopeful that one day there would be a cure.

In 2008, I found out about the BRCA genetic test, and consulted with a counselor to explore my family history and risk for other cancers. I could not trace anyone on my mother’s side or father’s side who had breast cancer. My test results came back positive for BRCA1, hereditary cancer..which put me at high risk for breast cancer, ovarian cancer and melanoma. I immediately took action and had my ovaries removed, and also saw a dermatologist for a baseline skin check. Because I already had a lumpectomy and radiation, I decided to ignore the possibility of having another bout with breast cancer, and instead opted to have close medical management of the radiated breast.

After rebuilding my life and living by the adage that time heals all wounds, once again, I went in for my yearly mammogram, which for those with a history of cancer become a living hell. January 2010, a one-centimeter cancer lump was found on the radiated breast. The carcinoma is a grade three, stage one, triple-negative ductal cell. Not a good report to say the least. On March 5th, I underwent a second mastectomy, and next week I face my first of four chemotherapy treatments of Taxotere/Cytoxen. So it seems I’m back on the frontline fighting the war against breast cancer. At least I learned from my past experiences, that early detection is crucial.

If I had known I was a BRCA1 carrier in 1993, I would have had a double mastectomy and ovaries removed and life would have been enjoyed with less pain. I thought life was pretty darn good before I was diagnosed, and have faith that it will be good again. There are new programs available, and genetic testing that were not available in 1993. I urge those reading my story to get tested and learn about prevention. I have “been there, and done that.” Now I am winning the battle–and maybe I am cured! I will let you know next year..after my routine physical. And on the positive side, I am through with yearly mammograms!

Marilyn Robinson
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