Interesting Article

In Pdf form from the American Cancer Society here is something some of you may find interesting and it is pretty extensive. There is a menu showing topics on the left side.

Cancer Treatment & Survivorship Facts & Figures 2019-2021

There are parts covered that I think would be of interest to those starting treatment and those already completed.

Take Care-God Bless-Russ

Such as:

Making Decisions about Cancer Care Choosing a Doctor and Treatment Facility

Typically, the doctor who diagnoses the cancer will

recommend appropriate specialists, including

specialized surgeons, medical oncologists, hematologists,

and radiation oncologists. Some cancers, such as skin

and prostate may be treated by clinicians who specialize

in specific body systems (i.e., dermatologists and

urologists, respectively) rather than oncologists.

Help with choosing a doctor and treatment center, as well

as information to prepare patients for meeting with their

the treatment team for the first time is available from

cancer.org. See Choosing Your Treatment Team for more

information (cancer.org/treatment/finding-and-paying-for-

treatment/choosing-your-treatment-team.html).

Choosing among Recommended Treatments

Patients and family members may want to educate

themselves about treatment options so they can be

informed participants in treatment decisions. Helpful

information is available online at prepareforyourcare.org

to assist patients and families in communicating with

each other and their care team. Visit cancer.org/treatment

for a list of questions to ask when choosing among

recommended treatment options, along with other

information. For specific treatment information by

cancer type, visit cancer.org/cancer.html. It is important

that treatment decisions take patients' preferences,

needs, and desires into account, making discussion

about these a fundamental part of the decision-making

process.

Also:

Cancer treatment can include localized therapies, such

as surgery, radiation therapy, cryotherapy, and heat

or chemical ablation, and/or systemic therapies (e.g.,

chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, immune therapy,

and targeted therapy) used alone or in combination.

Supportive therapies are additional treatments that do

not directly treat cancer but are used to reduce side

effects and address other patient and family quality of life

concerns (e.g., medications to reduce nausea, protect

against organ damage from chemotherapy or radiation,

or stimulate blood cell production). For some slow-

growing cancers, the approach may be to defer

immediate treatment and monitor the cancer over time

(known as active surveillance). This approach is used for

some less aggressive blood cancers and low-risk localized

prostate cancer.