Sarcoidosis: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

How A Device Used For Brain Tumour Surgery Is Saving Sights In Many

NEW DELHI: Gamma knife, a radiation therapy device used commonly to treat brain tumour, is now being deployed for treating cancerous tumours in the eye.The device uses advanced imaging and computer software to deliver an intense radiation dose to the tumour while sparing the surrounding tissues unlike conventional treatment methods in which a small carrier containing radioactive "seeds" (known as a plaque) is placed on the outside of the eyeball over where the tumour to deliver radiation. According to Dr Bhavna Chawla, professor of ophthalmology at AIIMS Delhi – where Gamma Knife has been used for radiation therapy in 15 patients suffering from Choroidal Melanoma already, the new methodology can help preserve vision while killing the cancer cells more effectively."Of the 15 patients who underwent radiation therapy using Gamma Knife at our hospital in the last two and a half years, vision could be preserved in 13 which is a big achievement," she said.Choroidal melanoma refers to cancerous tumour affecting the choroid which is a thin layer of tissue lying between the sclera or white outer layer of the eye and the retina. According to Dr Chawla, conventionally treatment for this rare type of cancer involves plaque therapy which is an invasive procedure."We must conduct a small surgery to place the plaque, a small carrier containing radioactive "seeds", on the outside of the eyeball over where the tumour is and after the radiation dose is administered another surgery is needed to remove the plaques. It poses a high risk of damage to the surrounding tissues and the optic nerve and, therefore, the chances of preserving vision. The use of the Gamma knife device is likely to improve the outcome," the AIIMS doctor said.AIIMS Delhi has been using the Gamma Knife device to treat tumours and lesions involving the brain since late 1990s, Dr Deepak Agrawal, professor of neurosurgery at the premier medical institute said. "Recently, we have started to explore its usage for cancerous tumour of the eye. The results have been encouraging," he said. AIIMS is charging Rs 75,000 for radiation therapy using the Gamma Knife device as well as follow-up MRIs.

Why Kate Middleton And Other Cancer Patients Require More Than One Treatment

Why Kate Middleton and Other Cancer Patients Require More Than One Treatment

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, announced she had cancer last month. Many cancer patients undergo surgery, chemotherapy and other treatments in combination

By Alexander Olawaiye & The Conversation US

The Princess of Wales during a visit to officially open the Evelina London Children's Day Surgery Unit at London's Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital.

PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Cancer

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.

When Kate Middleton, the princess of Wales, announced in March 2024that she was receiving "preventive chemotherapy" following abdominal surgery, many wondered what that entails. Formally known as adjuvant therapy, administering chemotherapy or other treatments after surgery is a common approach to treating certain types of cancer and is not necessarily intended to prevent cancer.

Oncologist Alexander Olawaiyeof the University of Pittsburgh explains what factors doctors take into account when devising a cancer treatment plan.

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Why are some cancers treated with surgery but not others?

There are many types of cancer treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and hormonal therapy, among others. Sometimes doctors combine multiple types of treatment. Which is the best treatment approach depends on which organ the tumor originated from and how much the tumor has spread at the time of diagnosis.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of cancers: solid tumors – or visible tumors that can be seen by the naked eye or through imaging – and liquid tumors, such as blood cancers. The primary treatment for solid cancers is surgery to physically remove the tumor, with the goal of getting rid of all tissues involved with the tumor.

For example, in ovarian cancer, surgery often includes removing the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the uterus, along with any visible cancer tissue in the rest of the belly. Sometimes this requires removing the spleen or part of the small intestine or liver.

For skin cancers such as melanoma, surgery involves removing both the tumor and a good margin of normal-looking skin with it to capture any remaining cancer cells that may not be visible in the surrounding healthy skin. Likewise, a surgeon may also remove nearby lymph nodes.

When solid cancer is diagnosed early, the success of treatment following surgery is typically high. For example, an estimated 91% of cervical cancerpatients who are diagnosed early are still alive at least five years after diagnosis. Endometrial cancer patients who are diagnosed early have an estimated five-year survival rate of 95%.

Why do some cancers recur?

Despite surgical removal, many tumors come back. Researchers don't fully understand why cancers recur, but there are certain red flagsthat indicate the potential for recurrence.

One is how different the cancer cells look compared with healthy cells. The more different, the more aggressive the tumor. When a tumor is more aggressive, it's more likely to invade neighboring tissues and spread to other parts of the body.

Another is the extent the cancer has spread at the time of diagnosis. This is what determines the stage of the cancer. For example, stage 1 cancer refers to a tumor that is confined to the organ it originally developed from. Stage 4 cancer refers to a tumor that has spread far from its origins to grow on other organs. The higher the stage, the higher the risk for a worse outcome.

A third factor is the organ where the cancer first originated. For instance, pancreatic cancers tend to be fatal even when diagnosed early because these tumors don't respond well to therapy. Ovarian cancer can have symptoms that are difficult to recognize, leading to late diagnoses. On the other hand, breast cancer and thyroid cancer tend to be less aggressive for longer periods of time, even when diagnosed at an advanced stage.

What is adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy?

For patients with tumors that can be surgically removed, they often also receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy before or after the procedure. Doctors prescribe this additional, or adjuvant, treatment depending on the patient's risk of recurrence.

Recurrence typically happens when cancer cells escape from the tumor prior to or during surgical removal. Adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation after the procedure is aimed at killing these cells so they don't settle down and grow somewhere else in the body later on.

In some cases, surgical removal is not feasible or not advisable. This could be because the cancer has spread so much that completely cutting it out is impossible or the risk of complications or disability from the surgery is high.

For example, primary surgery often isn't a good option for ovarian cancer, since most patients are diagnosed in advanced stages; complete surgical removal, even if possible, may involve removing important organs such as the rectum and colon. This can lead to the need for a colostomy or ileostomy, where stool is passed directly from the large or small intestine to a bag outside the belly. Surgical removal of breast cancer may mean losing the affected breast.

The risk of unwanted side effects from surgical removal can be reduced through neoadjuvant therapy, or administering chemotherapy or radiation before the procedure to shrink the tumor and reduce the amount of surgery required. Studies have shown that neoadjuvant therapy can help ovarian cancerpatients avoid colostomies after surgery and allow breast cancerpatients to opt for a procedure that conserves their breast.

Neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment can include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiation therapy or a combination of these treatments. Further advances in research will offer doctors and patients even more approaches to effectively treat cancer.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

McDonald's Fundraiser Helps Local 10-year-old With Medical Expenses

Weston Barcus of Winterset received a prosthetic eye after being diagnosed with ocular melanoma. Now, the community is working to offset the expenses.

WINTERSET, Iowa — A local McDonald's held a fundraiser Saturday for a Winterset boy and his family dealing with a sudden onslaught of medical expenses. 

In November, 10-year-old Weston Barcus went to his parents and told them he couldn't see out of his left eye. This then led to months of doctors' visits in Iowa City. 

On Dec. 1, 2023, Weston was diagnosed with ocular melanoma. 

"It's been a little scary, just not knowing what might happen," Weston said. 

After going through tests, doctors found that Weston's tumor was half the size of his eyeball. This gave his family a choice to either go through chemotherapy and hope for it to be successful, or remove his eye. 

"We decided to go with the second option and just remove it all and be done with it instead of putting him all through the chemo and stuff because there was no guarantee that that was going to work," said Becky Barcus, Weston's mom. 

Weston now has a prosthetic eye and will go through multiple fittings for it throughout his lifetime as his body grows. 

The Barcus' neighbor, Roy Foley, heard about Weston and wanted to help out. 

Foley reached out to the local McDonald's and set up a fundraiser, where 15% of the proceeds go directly to the Barcus family for medical expenses. 

While it has been a long road, Weston has remained positive and happy through it all, doing his favorite things, like school. 

"In school, we get to do art and math and science and stuff like that and it's really fun for me," Weston said. 

The 10-year-old wants to send a message for people going through something similar. 

"It's okay to be different, but it's also okay to share those differences," Weston said. 

McDonald's raised over $1,000 in the fundraiser on Saturday. There is also a GoFundMe for the family, or you can Venmo @WestonBarcus_FundRaiser. 

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