In this short video, Dr. Brian Lawenda discusses signs and symptoms of the 3 most common types of skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas and melanoma). Everyone should do a monthly skin self-examination, and you'll see how this is ... [Read More]
Tests You Should Take
In this section, you will learn about many of the laboratory tests that Dr. Lawenda recommends for his patients to identify cancer promoting pathophysiology and genetic abnormalities. Additionally, you will learn about functional drug sensitivity testing, which can help identify the most effective drugs for each patient’s cancer.
Delayed Routine Cancer Screening: Know These Cancer Signs and Symptoms
Most routine cancer screenings are being delayed during the COVID pandemic to reduce the burden on the healthcare system. It is therefore very important to be aware of the signs and symptoms that could indicate the presence of cancer. In this ... [Read More]
Routine Cancer Screening During The Pandemic
One of the many casualties of the COVID crisis are the millions of individuals who are unable to get timely cancer screenings for an unknown amount of time due to cancelled or rescheduled appointments: —colorectal cancer (colonoscopies) —breast ... [Read More]
Cologuard: Non-Invasive Colorectal Cancer Screening Stool DNA Test
Colon and rectal cancer screening can be done in the safety and convenience of your home. See my 2-minute video. The Cologuard DNA stool test is a non-invasive option for eligible patients, >/= 45 years of age (covered by many insurance ... [Read More]
Who Should Consider Genetic Testing For Hereditary Mutations?
Everyone with a Breast Cancer History Should Get Testing If you have a personal history of breast cancer, you might want to consider getting tested for BRCA1, BRCA2 or PALB2 (and other hereditary cancer mutations), regardless of your family ... [Read More]
Why You Need To Know About Functional Drug Sensitivity Testing
There are some pretty big questions people need to ask before they agree to a chemotherapy regimen, especially if treatment was based on guidelines alone. Can the doctor do a better job of predicting which cancer drug(s) will have the best chance ... [Read More]
Simple Lab Tests To Help Predict Cancer Prognosis
Systemic inflammation is recognized as one of the key driving factors for cancer development recurrence and death. Increasingly, studies are reporting that we can use simple lab tests as prognostic tools to help us better predict which patients will ... [Read More]
Dr. Lawenda Discusses A Better Way To Choose Cancer Drugs
KNDU/NBC TV "Living Well" Show: Dr. Lawenda Discusses How Oncologists Choose Cancer Drugs (June 3, 2017) https://vimeo.com/220555064 Most of us in oncology like to say that we practice “personalized” medicine. What we mean by ... [Read More]
Make Your Body Less Conducive To Cancer With Integrative Oncology
It is NOT a new concept that if you can make your tissues less conducive to cancer growth you will have a much greater shot at beating cancer. One of the greatest minds in the history of modern medicine (Dr Stephen Paget) eloquently noted this in ... [Read More]
Breast Cancer Risk, Curcumin, Vitamin D, Genetics And More
Breast Cancer Risk Can Be Determined From A Biopsy A landmark Harvard study found that the risk of breast cancer can be predicted by looking at the percentage of dividing cells from a routine breast biopsy. If this tissue analysis (called ... [Read More]
The Most Important Statistic You Need To Know
Before you get too excited about the next sensationalized media headline or drug advertisement proclaiming a new "practice changing breakthrough" in cancer treatment, read this. Almost weekly, there seems to be yet another announcement of a new ... [Read More]
The Importance Of Stool Testing
Did you know that certain microorganisms hiding in your gastrointestinal tract can cause smoldering, chronic inflammation in these mucosal tissues without you even noticing any symptoms? If this colonization continues for years, these ... [Read More]
Why Everyone Should Monitor Their Blood Sugar
We often hear that 'sugar feeds cancer.' While having elevated blood sugar levels is associated with increased risks of developing cancer, independent of other physiological factors, it is too simplistic to claim that dietary sugar consumption makes ... [Read More]
Everyone Should Get A Micronutrient Test
Every patient I have tested so far has been deficient in at least one micronutrient (vitamins and nutritionally essential minerals), and the vast majority have multiple deficiencies. This is consistent with the data reported in the large national ... [Read More]
Cancer Requires Personalized Treatment
Most of us in oncology like to say that we practice “personalized” medicine. What we mean by this is that we take into account many patient and cancer-specific variables when we formulate our treatment recommendations. These include such things ... [Read More]
Controlling Blood Sugar and Reversing Insulin Resistance
Having high-blood sugar levels and insulin resistance is a bad combination. They increase systemic inflammation, DNA-damaging free radical levels and cellular aging, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, obesity and risks of heart disease, diabetes (no ... [Read More]
Why You Need An AntiCancer Guide
Whether you just were diagnosed with cancer, currently undergoing treatment or are in remission you want to make sure you are doing everything you can do to make your body less conducive to cancer growth or recurrence. If cancer was a simple ... [Read More]
Adrenal Exhaustion and Cancer: Is This Real?
Medical school teaches nothing about adrenal exhaustion (also known as adrenal fatigue). Most conventionally trained physicians believe this not to be a real medical diagnosis. Instead, it is simply felt to be only in the mind of the patient with no ... [Read More]
One of My Favorite Integrative Oncology Lab Tests
Did you know that insulin is a cancer growth factor (a protein that stimulates cancer cells to grow)? Background: Most of the cells in our body use glucose (blood sugar) as their primary source of energy...and cancer cells are no exception. They ... [Read More]
What Integrative Oncology Is And Is Not
http://youtu.be/cx5VuAMaW6k What Is Integrative Oncology? Before I get into clarifying what integrative oncology is NOT, let’s first make sure all of our newer readers know what it IS. Integrative oncology is the use of evidence-informed ... [Read More]
Who should consider genetic testing (BRCA1/2) for hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancers?
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]
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]
Reduce Your Risk Of Blood Clots Without A Prescription
This article has been updated, November 2019 (link here) One of the the facts I emphasize during my integrative oncology talks is that the majority of patients with cancer do not die from their cancer, but instead from a side effect or ... [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]
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]
Would you change your lifestyle if you knew you had silent (occult) cancer cells hiding in your body?
I ask this question based on the fact that we know that cancer cells often spread early in the course of disease and they can remain silent (occult or hidden) for years. The Background: Among women with the earliest stage of invasive breast ... [Read More]
Who is at risk and who should be tested for the most common genetic colorectal and uterine cancer syndrome (HNPCC/Lynch Syndrome)?
The vast majority of individuals with a diagnosis of colorectal (and/or endometrial/uterine) cancer do not have a inherited gene mutation. Most cancers develop sporadically without any familial association. However, if you or members of your ... [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]