May 2, 2018

Fat Cells May Hinder Chemotherapy’s Impact

It’s hardly newsworthy that obesity leads to a litany of health problems, from heart disease and high blood pressure to diabetes, sleep apnea and cancer. But for cancer patients, a new study suggests obesity may cause even more medical complications by interfering with efforts to treat the disease. Citing the results of research published in Molecular Cancer Research, a National […]

April 3, 2018

Excess Weight May Contribute Up to 40 Percent of US Cancer Diagnoses

Your weight plays an important role in your overall health, including your risk of many chronic diseases — cancer included. In fact, being overweight or obese — defined as a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 25 or 30, respectively — is believed to cause up to 40 percent of all cancer diagnoses in […]

April 3, 2018

Matchmaking for Transplants

Each year, thousands of people diagnosed with life-threatening diseases, including blood cancers, myelodysplastic syndrome, sickle cell disease and many others, require bone marrow or stem cell transplants to give them the best chance at beating their diseases. These patients require finding a matching donor, and while some find a match from a family member, nearly […]

March 13, 2018

Why Sleep Should Be a Priority for Cancer Patients

Most people experience poor sleep from time to time. Maybe you went to bed too late, were too excited or stressed to fall asleep, took medication that kept you alert or had an alcoholic beverage before bed that interfered with your ability to fall asleep. There are many reasons that you might have a bad […]

March 13, 2018

What are Environmental Risk Factors, and How Can I Avoid Them?

Tobacco smoke at a concert. Pollution from the factory around the corner. Radiation from a routine X-ray. When it comes to environmental factors that raise the risk of cancer, it may seem like avoiding exposure is as impossible as avoiding the air you breathe. In reality, though, you have more control than you think. Experts […]

February 12, 2018

Banding Together through Cancer with Music Therapy

Patients don’t need to know how to play an instrument to participate in the Music Therapy program currently offered at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) at Southwestern Regional Medical Center (Southwestern) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They don’t even need to be musically inclined, according to Dr. David Wakefield, PhD, mind-body therapist at Southwestern. “Some patients […]

February 12, 2018

10 Tips for Keeping Relationships Strong Through the Cancer Journey

Living with cancer is one of the hardest things a person may face in his or her lifetime. Not only do cancer patients have to battle the disease and the side effects from treatment, cancer can also test relationships. Michael Uhl, MA, MDiv, LMFT, Mind-Body Therapist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) in Zion, […]

January 10, 2018

Why You Need to Be Kinder to Yourself and How to Do It

The party’s over, the guests have gone home, and the decorations are back in storage. The new year has arrived, and for many of us, 2018 offers a new chance to make good on that perennial list of resolutions that fell by the wayside last year. If you’re resolving to lose weight, exercise more, save […]

January 10, 2018

What to Know Before Visiting the Salon

A visit to the salon can brighten anyone’s day, but for cancer patients, salon services can do far more. From boosting self-esteem to empowering patients with a more positive outlook, a trip to the salon offers benefits that are more than skin deep. In fact, in a survey of U.S. women, 97 percent of those […]

December 10, 2017

What Every Cancer Patient Should Know About Flu Season

In the U.S., flu season peaks from December through February, but runs through the entire fall and winter. While most cases are mild, with recovery in less than two weeks without medical care necessary, people with weakened immune systems, including cancer patients, are at an increased risk of developing flu-related complications that may result in […]