Medical information
12 articles shown
When Your Hands and Feet Tingle After Oxaliplatin, and Cold Feels Especially Sharp
A look at peripheral neuropathy, a common side effect of oxaliplatin chemotherapy. It distinguishes acute symptoms triggered by cold from chronic symptoms that build up over time, and lays out practical management: avoiding cold, gloves and keeping warm, protecting the hands and feet, and reporting changes to your care team so doses can be adjusted.
FOLFIRINOX Chemotherapy: Side Effects Pancreatic Cancer Patients Should Know in Advance and How to Cope
This article explains, at the patient's level, the side effects commonly experienced during FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer - nausea, diarrhea, tingling in the hands and feet, and a drop in white blood cells - along with tips for managing each symptom at home and the warning signs that mean you should contact the hospital right away.
The Whipple Procedure for Pancreatic Cancer: What Is Removed and How You Recover
The Whipple procedure removes the head of the pancreas along with the duodenum, gallbladder, lower bile duct, and part of the stomach, then reconnects the remaining organs in a major operation. This article explains the real recovery process at the patient's level, from managing complications such as a pancreatic leak, taking digestive enzymes, eating small frequent meals, and controlling blood sugar, to gradually building up your walking.
What Is TACE for Liver Cancer? A Step-by-Step Look from Procedure to Recovery
TACE (transarterial chemoembolization) for liver cancer delivers chemotherapy directly through the hepatic artery that feeds the tumor and then blocks the vessel to starve the tumor. It is commonly recommended when surgery is difficult or there are multiple tumors. Performed through a catheter under local anesthesia, it finishes within one to two hours, but post-embolization syndrome with a mild fever and upper abdominal pain may follow for a few days. Because it is often not a one-time procedure and is repeated while checked with imaging, it is important not to rush recovery.
R-CHOP Chemotherapy for Lymphoma: The Five Drugs and How a Single Cycle Unfolds
A patient-friendly look at R-CHOP, the standard treatment for lymphoma. It explains the role of each of the five drugs (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone), how a single three-week cycle progresses, and the high-risk window around one week after treatment when fever and other warning signs deserve attention.
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: Following Along Step by Step, From Collection to Engraftment
This walks through the whole flow of a hematopoietic stem cell transplant in four stages—collection, conditioning, infusion, and engraftment. In everyday language it points out that the final transplant itself is as quiet as a blood transfusion, that there are tough hurdles before and after as the marrow is emptied and immunity bottoms out, and that engraftment—new cells settling in and making blood again—usually takes about two weeks.
What Is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer? A Step-by-Step Look at Why It Is Called a Tricky Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer is a type in which both the hormone receptors and HER2 are negative, so hormone and HER2 targeted therapies do not work, which is why it is considered tricky. But as immunotherapy and new targeted drugs increase, the treatment options are widening — this article explains that step by step.
BRCA Genetic Testing — Should You Definitely Get It If You Have a Family History?
BRCA gene mutations raise the risk of breast and ovarian cancer but do not make the disease certain. If you have a family history such as onset at a young age, cancer in both breasts, breast and ovarian cancer together, or male breast cancer, it is good to get genetic counseling before testing. More important than the test itself are interpreting the result, the management that follows, and being mentally prepared.
Premenopausal Breast Cancer — Why Is an Ovarian Function Suppression Injection Recommended?
Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer grows by feeding on estrogen, so for premenopausal women, treatment that blocks the hormone supply with an ovarian function suppression injection is sometimes added. It is recommended especially when the risk of recurrence is high, and although it has side effects similar to menopause, they generally recover once the injections stop. Whether to undergo it is decided with the medical team, weighing both the risk level and your physical condition.
Thyroid Cancer: A Simple Guide to Its Types and Treatment Flow
Thyroid cancer is divided into papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic types, and the course varies greatly by type. It is diagnosed with ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration, and low-risk cases may simply be watched. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment, with radioactive iodine, hormone replacement, or targeted therapy added as needed, and recurrence is tracked with blood levels and ultrasound even after surgery.
Ovarian Cancer's 'PARP Inhibitor' — What Exactly Is This Drug, and Who Uses It?
A PARP inhibitor is a targeted therapy that blocks a DNA-repair enzyme in cancer cells, causing ovarian cancer cells that already carry another repair defect — such as a BRCA mutation — to collapse on their own. It is widely used as maintenance therapy to delay recurrence after chemotherapy, and confirming eligibility through genetic testing is important. Side effects such as nausea, fatigue, and anemia are managed in consultation with the medical team.
When Early Menopause Arrives Suddenly After Chemotherapy — How to Manage the Symptoms
This piece walks through the hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, and changes in bone and heart health that come with the early menopause that chemotherapy can bring on suddenly, and offers concrete ways to manage the symptoms in daily life and the need for fertility-preservation counseling — all in a plain, human voice.