Do I need to start treatment right away?

 

Q: Do I need to start treatment right away?

A: A cancer diagnosis is scary, so many people want to begin treatment immediately--even the same day they hear the news. But usually cancer does not need such quick action. You have time to talk with your doctor, learn about your disease and its treatment options, seek a second opinion, and consider how to proceed. In addition, there may be further testing you should have to help determine the best treatment protocol. Taking a little time before treatment can also help you get over the shock of diagnosis and make plans for how to adjust your daily activities and responsibilities while you're receiving therapy.
--Bernice Crook, RN, OCN

Learn more by watching the helpful video The Cancer Talk Show: How to Choose Therapies.

Latest Cancer News
ACOG Updates Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

November 20, 2009 — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has revised its cervical cancer screening recommendations: the organization now recommends that women begin screening at the age of 21 and receive screening at less frequent intervals. These recommendations will be published in the December 2009 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

New Velcade®-melphalan Transplant Regimen for Multiple Myeloma

November 20, 2009 — Researchers from France have reported encouraging results with adding Velcade® (bortezomib) to high-dose melphalan followed by autologus stem cell infusion for initial treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The details of this Phase II study appeared in an early online publication in Blood on November 2, 2009.

Folic Acid May Be Beneficial in Patients with Recurrent Colorectal Adenoma Who Are Folate Deficient

November 20, 2009 — Researchers affiliated with the Health Professional Follow-Up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study have reported that folic acid supplementation in patients with recurrent colorectal adenoma was not protective or harmful in most patients. However, patients who were folate deficient had a significant 39% decrease in adenoma recurrence. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication on October 28, 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health