biological therapy Archives - Mayo Clinic News Network

Living With Cancer: Inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer — understanding the connection

Laurel Kelly — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 16:00:35 +0000

Inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer
You may be worried about the connection between inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer. It's important to understand that inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, doesn't necessarily lead to colon cancer. However, if you have Crohn's disease that affects the lower part of your large intestine, this increases your risk of colon cancer. As a result, you'll need more frequent screening for colon cancer to help diagnose and treat it early. In addition, this type of inflammatory bowel disease may limit your choices for colon cancer screening. Here's what you need to know.

Biological therapy for cancer
Biological therapy for cancer uses the body's immune system to kill cancer cells, slow tumor growth and prevent the spread of cancer. It often causes fewer toxic side effects than other cancer treatments. Learn more about the different biological therapies and how they work.

Cancer surgery: Physically removing tumors
Cancer surgery — an operation to remove part of your body to diagnose or treat cancer — remains the foundation of cancer treatment. Surgery often is combined with other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation. Whether you opt to undergo additional cancer treatment depends on the type and stage of your cancer, and your overall health status. Learn more about how and why cancer surgery is performed, and what you can expect if your health care provider recommends it for you.

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Living With Cancer: Treating stomach cancer

Laurel Kelly — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 22:00:56 +0000

Stomach cancer: Diagnosis and treatment
November is Stomach Cancer Awareness Month, which makes it a good time to learn more about treating this disease. Your health care provider will consider the stage of your cancer, as well as your overall health and personal preferences, to determine your treatment plan. This may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy and palliative care. Learn more about each of these treatment options and which might be right for you.

Stem cells: What they are and what they do
Perhaps you've heard about stem cells in the news and wondered if they might help you or a loved one with a serious disease. You may have questions about what stem cells are, how they're being used to treat disease and injury, and why they're the subject of such vigorous debate. Here are some answers to FAQs about stem cells.

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Living With Cancer: Whipple procedure for pancreatic cancer

Laurel Kelly — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 17:30:14 +0000

Whipple procedure: An overview
A Whipple procedure, also known as a pancreaticoduodenectomy, is a complex operation to remove the head of the pancreas, the first part of the small intestine, the gallbladder and the bile duct. It is the most common surgery to treat pancreatic cancer that's confined to the head of the pancreas. Find out more about this and related procedures for treatment of pancreatic disease.

Carcinoid tumors
Carcinoid tumors, which are a subset of tumors called neuroendocrine tumors, usually begin in the digestive tract (stomach, appendix, small intestine, colon and rectum) or in the lungs. They are slow-growing and often don't cause signs and symptoms until late in the disease. Learn more about the symptoms of carcinoid tumors and when you should seek medical care.

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Mayo Clinic Radio: Immunotherapy / Melanoma / Birth Control

Jennifer O'Hara — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 10:00:23 +0000

Traditionally, treatment for cancer has had three options: surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, or some combination of those three. But, there is fast becoming a fourth option for some types of cancer: immunotherapy, which is a biological therapy where the patient’s own immune system is activated to kill cancer cells. On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, researchers Dr. Roxana Dronca and Dr. Richard Vile explain how this novel approach to fighting cancer is showing promise. Also on the program, dermatologist Dr. Jerry Brewer discusses the danger of melanoma. And, family medicine specialist Dr. Elizabeth Cozine breaks down the wide range of birth control options now available.

Listen to the program on Saturday, July 2, at 9:05 a.m. CDT, and follow #MayoClinicRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Immunotherapy / Melanoma / Birth Control appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Mayo Clinic Radio: Immunotherapy / Melanoma / Birth Control

Jennifer O'Hara — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 16:59:35 +0000

Listen to the program on Saturday, July 2, at 9:05 a.m. CDT.

Miss the show? Here's the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

Access archived shows.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Immunotherapy / Melanoma / Birth Control appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.