The vast majority of cancers occur by chance, but a small percentage are related to inherited genetic abnormalities or mutations. In cases of hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancers, most occur as a result of mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 ... [Read More]
Conventional Treatments
In this section, you will learn about various conventional cancer therapies, pharmaceutical drugs, procedures and tests that are either innovative or merely interesting topics that Dr. Lawenda wants to share with patients.
The Rising Tide of the Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy: Know the Facts
The last decade has seen a steady rise (300% increase) in the number of individuals who are opting to undergo a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) as a means of reducing their risk of developing a new breast cancer in their opposite ... [Read More]
How To Reduce Your Risk of Bone Fracture During and After Cancer Treatment
Bone loss and bone fractures are a significant concern during and after many different types of cancer treatment. Appropriate screening, lifestyle modifications and therapies to increase or maintain bone density are essential. I decided to write ... [Read More]
Proton Beam Therapy: The Rolls Royce of Radiation Oncology
Have you heard of "proton beam therapy" (PBT)? Simply put, PBT is the most advanced radiation therapy technique available. This star wars-like technology has been used in the treatment of malignant and benign tumors since the 1950's. As of 2011, ... [Read More]
One Baby Aspirin Per Day Cuts Cancer Development, Metastases and Death!
Do you take an aspirin a day for aches and pains or other health reasons? It seems that many people do, and they might be inadvertently protecting themselves from cancer. A Willow Tree Gave Us Aspirin: The ancient Egyptians used the bark of the ... [Read More]
Fight & Prevent Breast Fibrosis After Radiation Therapy
I wrote a previous blog post in which I hypothesized that by using a combination of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and pentoxifylline (PTX), patients undergoing breast or chest wall radiation therapy for breast cancer might be able to reduce their risk ... [Read More]
Keep Your Hair With Scalp Cooling (“Cold Cap Therapy”) During Chemotherapy
If you want to try to keep your hair during chemotherapy read this article. I wish more oncologists would tell their patients about this incredibly simple hair saving technique, but unfortunately many are either unaware of how effective it is or are ... [Read More]
Penile “Rehab” During and After Prostate Cancer Treatment
One of the most common complications of radiation therapy and surgery (prostatectomy) for prostate cancer is erectile dysfunction (ED.) Studies report rates as high as 30-60% of men who undergo these treatments will develop ED as a result of ... [Read More]
Alzheimer’s Drug Reduces Memory Loss and Cognitive Decline After Brain Radiation
Brain radiation is one of the most effective treatments for stopping or slowing the growth of brain tumors and cancers that have spread to the brain. Unfortunately, this treatment can lead to varying degrees of cognitive and memory deficits ... [Read More]
Mucositis of the Mouth and Throat: An Integrative Oncology Approach to Management
Mucositis is one of the most common side effects of cancer treatment, and one that can cause a great amount of distress when not addressed both preventatively and therapeutically. Dr. Lise Alschuler, ND (an internationally known naturopathic ... [Read More]
Dr. Lawenda’s Interview on Integrative Radiation Oncology: Today and The Future
Listen to my interview with host, Karolyn Gazella, of Five To Thrive Live (on 11/12/12) We discussed a variety of topics including: What is integrative oncology Why and how I chose to become an integrative radiation oncologist I discuss what ... [Read More]
Are you on Tamoxifen? A simple test can tell you if you are at a high risk of blood clots
Patients who take a commonly prescribed breast cancer drug, Tamoxifen (learn more about Tamoxifen here) are at an increased risk of developing blood clots. Researchers have discovered that this risk is much greater (500% higher) in some patients with ... [Read More]
Integrative Oncology: Would you really want any other approach?
From time to time, we need to take a step back and simply review the overall concept of integrative oncology. What Is Integrative Oncology? **(psst...nevermind the term "integrative medicine"...it's called practicing quality ... [Read More]
Millions of Cancer Survivors Suffer from Lymphedema: early diagnosis & treatment is essential
Did you know that as many as 3-5 million individuals suffer from lymphedema in the United States, and the majority of whom develop this condition as a result of cancer treatment (i.e. surgery and/or radiation therapy to the lymph nodes within the ... [Read More]
Reduce skin fibrosis & possibly breast implant contracture after radiation therapy: vitamin E & pentoxifylline
Most patients typically develop only minimal skin fibrosis after their radiation therapy, however for those who have a more significant degree of fibrosis I often recommend a combination of vitamin E (400 I.U. twice a day) and pentoxifylline (400 mg, ... [Read More]
Testosterone replacement therapy in men with prostate cancer: An oncologist’s perspective
"Does testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) increase the risk of my prostate cancer coming back?" It seems that this question is coming up more often these days among patients who have completed treatment for prostate cancer. The ... [Read More]
Basal Cell & Squamous Cell Skin Cancers Cured Without Surgery: 100+ Years of Experience Using This Non-Surgical Treatment
Did you know that radiation therapy is the most highly-effective, non-surgical treatment option for basal and squamous cell skin cancer? Radiation therapy has been used for the treatment of skin cancers since the early 1900's and continues to be ... [Read More]
Cancer has spread to a sentinel lymph node…do you need more extensive lymph node surgery?
Please share this post with anyone you know who was JUST diagnosed with breast cancer... A practice changing study, published in February 2011, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reported the results of an important randomized ... [Read More]
Radiographic imaging for staging prostate cancer is inappropriate for low and intermediate risk patients
Did you know that radiographic imaging studies (CT scans, bone scans and MRI) will detect disease outside of the prostate gland less than 1% of the time in men who are diagnosed with either "low" or "intermediate" risk prostate cancer? (i.e. Gleason ... [Read More]
Lung cancer eradicated in 98% of patients with a rapid, 3 to 5-day course of radiation therapy: A new paradigm in the management of early stage lung cancer.
A recently reported study (in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 2010) demonstrated the remarkable effectiveness of the latest radiation therapy technique (called "stereotactic body radiation therapy" or "SBRT") in the treatment of ... [Read More]
A five-day, non-invasive treatment for prostate cancer (called "stereotactic body radiation therapy" or "SBRT") is now available
Did you know that external radiation (when employed as 1st-line therapy for prostate cancer) is prescribed for 9-weeks of daily treatment? There is a new shorter, non-invasive option that has recently become available...read on... Patients have ... [Read More]
An aspirin-a-day keeps prostate cancer away: Aspirin reduces the risk of recurrence by greater than 50%!!
In a fascinating study (which will be presented at the October 2010, American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting), investigators will be presenting the results of an analysis of 5,275 patients who had been treated for prostate cancer (with ... [Read More]
History of prostate cancer? Get a colonoscopy! Your risk of precancerous colon polyps is significantly elevated compared to those without a history of prostate cancer.
A new study (presented at the American College of Gastroenterology conference, in October 2010) reviewed the records of 2,000 men who underwent routine colonoscopies at the Buffalo VA Medical Center, and identified 188 men who also had a history of ... [Read More]
A common prostate cancer therapy increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and diabetes
Men who have aggressive (high-risk), advanced or metastatic prostate cancer are commonly prescribed hormonal therapy drugs called, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists that suppress the growth of prostate cancer cells by inhibiting the ... [Read More]
Discuss ALL your medications and supplements with your cancer care team: Potentially serious interactions are common among cancer patients
Studies indicate that one-third of cancer patients take combinations of medications (both prescribed and non-prescription/over-the-counter drugs) that place them at risk of potentially dangerous interactions. (Read More Here) This number may ... [Read More]
Greater than 50% of breast cancer patients either discontinue or are non-adherent to hormonal therapy regimens
In a study published, in June 2010 (in the Journal of Clinical Oncology) investigators have found that over 50% of breast cancer patients, who have been prescribed hormonal therapy medications ("aromatase inhibitors" or "Tamoxifen") for preventing ... [Read More]
Prostate cancer may be 30% less likely to recur in men on a common cholesterol lowering medication
In a study published in late June/early July 2010 (in the journal Cancer) investigators report that men who underwent surgery for prostate cancer and had been taking a common cholesterol lowering medication ("statins"), at the time of surgery, were ... [Read More]
A commonly prescribed osteoporosis medication significantly decreases the risk of developing invasive breast cancer
In two large studies, published in June 2010 (in the Journal of Clinical Oncology) investigators report that the use of a class of osteoporosis medications called, "bisphosphonates" significantly reduced the risk of developing invasive breast cancer ... [Read More]
Diabetes increases the risk of cancer
Increasingly, we are learning that adults with diabetes (particularly, type 2 diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes- "NIDDM") have an increased risk of developing a variety of cancers. Researchers have suggested numerous possible hypotheses to ... [Read More]
Progesterone increases the risk of breast cancer metastasis
In a study (accepted for publication in May 2006, in Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society) investigators found the the use of progesterone increased the risk of breast cancer metastases. The authors conducted this study in ... [Read More]