Brain Tumor Diagnosis- Think Differently!

Let's face it; on the list of scary things that can happen to someone, being diagnosed with a brain tumor has got to be pretty high on anyone’s list. But, whether it's happened to you or to a loved one, a brain tumor diagnosis needn't be the end of the world.

In the summer of 2008, a brain tumor was diagnosed as being the cause of the 'kicking leg' effect, in my sister. To say we were both shell-shocked would be an understatement. When someone tells you, you have a brain tumor; the thought which automatically strikes into mind is that you are going to die.

After the initial shock had subsided a little, we started to think positively. We made an appointment with the neurosurgeon and my first question to him was, "how much pain will my sister have to experience?" His answer surprised me, "No pain", he said. We both felt that brain tumor diagnosis is not going to mean the end of the world after all.

And so it proved. The 5-hour operation was a completed success. Within 10 days my sister came back to home and the next day she was working on her computer as earlier she used to do. I tried to stop her but she wanted to do it, saying she was making herself comfortable and normal.

So although it's a very scary thing to be told, a brain tumor diagnosis is not the end of world. One is just needed to have patience, strong will power and think differently.

Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer – Some Important Facts

Radiotherapy for breast cancer is something which has been contributing towards saving life of women suffering from breast cancer.

In modern times, almost every field has been developed a lot. And in the field of medical sciences, several treatments are developed to cure several serious diseases. Moreover, radiotherapy is one of those latest treatments. This therapy treats breast cancer by using powerful radiations to destroy the affected cells and harms as little as possible to normal tissues or cells.

Radiotherapy for breast cancer is mostly used by radiotherapists after breast cancer surgery. With this treatment, it becomes easier for doctors to remove the affected part of breasts. One important thing is that this therapy ca be used after or without any earlier breast surgery.

Radiotherapy treatment is normally comprised of series of daily sessions. Patients are needed to visit to hospital every day specified by doctors. Treatment involves just 10-15minutes and may lass for 3-6 weeks.

During the procedure of radiotherapy for breast cancer, one may notice certain side effects like tiredness and soreness but they disappear after complete treatment. Doctor usually discusses side effects and related changes with patients to make them comfortable. External radiotherapy is safe for children and other people living with the patient.

In the treatment, affected part gets removed without affecting normal tissues or lymph nodes in breast. Whole breast area including underarm, collar bone area and breast bone area are covered under the treatment of radiotherapy for breast cancer. One is just needed to go through a recognized hospital and doctors for better results.

Diagnostic mammography – Features & Type of Views

No doubt science and technology are developing day by day but this is also the fact that diseases are also increasing and creating huge problems for humans. Diagnostic mammography is an advanced therapy in the field of medical science in order to cure breast cancer.

Breast cancer is one such severe disease which if not diagnosed and treated on time can put end to one’s life. And this is really very impressive to note that Diagnostic mammography have been developed as a treatment therapy for women suffering from breast cancer.

Diagnostic mammography can be defined as breasts x-ray exam which is performed to detect breast abnormality through physical exam or via screening mammography. One should now that Diagnostic mammography is quite different from the screening mammography. In diagnostic, additional views are usually taken of breasts but in the case of screening just two views.

Features of Diagnostic mammography are:

• Main objective is to find out exact location and size of breast abnormality.
• It takes image of abnormality occurring in lymph nodes as well as surrounding tissue.
• Most of the times, this mammography finds abnormality to be non-cancerous.
There are several typical views related to diagnostic mammograms. Some important ones are:
• MLO or medio lateral oblique view
• CC or cranio-caudal view
• supplemental views
• Spot compression
• Magnification views

Thus, all these views help radiologist to diagnose the cancer areas properly so that they can move further in this direction. Hence, Diagnostic mammography is very important x-ray exam.

Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer – A Bliss

Radiotherapy for breast cancer is something which has been benefiting women a lot than other treatment therapy.

For me, it was the worst moment when I was being told about one of my friends who had cancer. The radiotherapy treatment was suggested by the doctor to her. Having been there it was shocking for me. But, I was to be very patient and strong for the sake of my friend.

Her treatment regime was consisting of four types of treatments which include FEC chemo etc. And, one treatment was four weeks of radiotherapy treatment.

Four weeks of radiotherapy for breast cancer was treated her like a job. She used to go to the hospital at allotted time every day. The treatments really had a fantastic set up in hospitals for radiotherapy patients. A special car park was there next to the unit for radiotherapy patients’ where they are guaranteed a space.

The actual treatment of radiotherapy ended in a few minutes and according to her it was as painless and quite relaxing as well. It depends from patient to patient because for some people, the treatment is very tiring and for some it is quite relaxing.

What I have observed while going with her during radiotherapy for breast cancer treatment that if someone is treated with chemo first then the perception of tiredness is changed! The visit to hospital regularly is a bit of a bind otherwise the mental trick to over come this is great.

Radiology equipment that never goes obsolete

The most vital concern medical institutions of all kinds have regarding implementing newer technologies is the amount of extra money they would have to shell out not only to replace the software, but also to purchase new radiology equipment. And this is a valid concern by all means, since medical hardware does have a reputation of being downright expensive. However, with the computed radiography (CR) technology, this problem has been taken care of, and hospitals, physicians & nursing homes alike can leverage this latest technology to treat patients without having to overshoot their budgets.

CR basically acts as a bridge between conventional and newer radiography technologies to give medical professionals the edge of and upgrade to treat patients in a better manner, all the while ensuring that there are no problems on the monetary front. The technique involves an imaging plate that has photostimulatable phosphor as one of its constituents, the specialty of this chemical being that it can respond to X-rays and produce images. Conventional film is the only aspect that is taken out by implementing CR, since the rest of the radiology equipment remains more or less the same.

The results, however, are much better compared to older technology, and medicals institutions are sure to get a significant boost in their success rate without having to risk a large sum of investment, thus making CR the dream package for all kinds of medical operations.

Innovation allows radiology equipment to produce digital images

Doctors all around the world have often had to face one of the most critical shortcomings of even the most advanced pieces of radiology equipment, the fact that the images that are produced of X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, etc. can only be shared with doctors and medical experts in the medical establishment or in the same city at best, if the need arises on an urgent basis. This has sometimes led to incorrect diagnosis that has aggravated the problem even further, sometimes to irrevocable consequences.

However, thanks to a new innovation in the field of radiology, equipments can now actually allow doctors to take digital images that can be sent anywhere in the world to take opinion of doctors and give the appropriate diagnosis for treating the problem in the right manner. Not only is this a very effective means of ensuring that patients are given the best medical attention, it is also a very cost effective means of archiving case histories for future references. What's more, the conversion procedure is also very easy, since all that is needed is to install PACS software using regular PCs, and regular radiology imaging can transform into the digital format without any complications. Truly a remarkable feat that is going to forever change the course of medical sciences for the better.

Portability in radiology equipment : A boon to medical practices

Radiology equipment has certainly made strong headways in the recent times. However, one factor that was always a hindrance for medical professionals was the fact that the patient was always required to come to the hospital or clinic to get their diagnosis. This resulted in the appointment getting delayed, and the patient's condition worsening over a period of time. However, with the rising trend of the internet's involvement in practically every aspect of our lives, that aspect has also been taken care of. Here's how it works.

First, talking about the 'patients not able to visit doctors' part, there is a complete range of mobile/portable radiology equipment that can be used to be taken to patient's home and have proper diagnosis in case the patient is unable to come to the doctor for any reason. Talking about the role on the internet, if the piece of equipment is connected to the web via a laptop, information in any form can be instantly transferred to the medical premises for getting an on the spot opinion on the patient's condition, saving valuable time. Looks like medical science has certainly improved by leaps and bounds, much to the delight of medical professionals as well as patients.