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A CT scan is a series of xrays that builds up a 3-dimensional picture of inside your body. CT stands for Computerised Tomography. You will need to lie down on a couch which moves through a tunnel. This is a painless procedure and usually takes about 30mins. You may need to take a drink or be injected with dye. This allows your doctors to see areas of your body more clearly. The dye might make you feel hot but this will pass. An MRI scan uses magnetic fields and not xrays to build up a series of cross sectional pictures of inside your body. MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Again you will have to lie on a couch, this time inside a metal cyclinder. An MRI scan is very noisy and you will be given earplugs or headphones. Some patients find an MRI claustrophobic. If you are worried about this discuss it with your doctor. They can prescribe medication to help keep you calm. You may also be given a drink or injection of dye before an MRI scan. A PET scan stands for Positron Emisson Tomography. You will be given a radioactive injection prior to your scan and this will highlight areas in the body that are abnormal. A PET scan is often used for parts of the body that other scans don't give enough information about. This scan is also painless, however it can take up to two hours to perform. Again you will be required to lie on a couch that moves through a scanner. This scanner contains sensors that read the signals from the radioactive substance injected into your body. It is important to be very relaxed prior to a PET scan. Your doctor might prescribe some medication to help you with this. It is unusual to become claustrophobic during a PET scan. All of these scans take pictures of inside the body. Your doctor will decide which scan is best suited for you. These scans are usually performed for investigative purposes and are not normally performed on healthy people. You will be advised before your scan whether or not you need to fast. Also the staff in the radiology department will explain whether or not you are radioactive following your scan. If so it is advisable to avoid contact with young children and pregnant women for 24hours.

My mother has recently been diagnosed with Secondary Breast Cancer in her Pelvic Bone. We were told at the time that her Breast Cancer had been caught at the very earlier stages and are now somewhat disillusioned as to why and how it could have spread to her Pelvic Bone ? What is the average life expectancy for someone with this condition considering her Breast Cancer was caught very early? Do some people with Secondary Cancer given treatment to control it carry on to lead normal lives for long periods of time?

Is there anything that anyone can recommend for boost energy levels? The Oncology Team won't continue the treatment until energy levels come up, without the treatment time is short, is there anything that you can recommend?

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in november of 2007 and has had her breast removed we were told that as there was a 50% chance either way that they got it all and she went on treatment in january which was 4 bouts of ac then went on Taxol and Herceptin she has since been taken off the taxol because her oncolog told her that she has had every symptom that the drug is associated with can anyone out there tell us how long these symptom of taxol last and if there are any side effects from herceptin

Iam a 20 year old male,i did all the things any other 18-22 year old did,went out the weekends,hell,while i was at college i was even going out weeknights,life was great,living it to the full,however one day it was to change completely. One day while i was in the city with my mates they noticed i was acting quite weird,saying the same thing several imes,forgetting where we were going,talking absolute rubbish in general. Anyway,because my mates noticed this they got quite worried so my best mate tony decided to have a word with my mther as he had his suspicions that i might have taken some sort of drug or something, my mother knew me too well, she knew i would never try drugs but she agreed with tony,i was acting strange. The next day my mother took me to the hospital, the doctors were puzzled, they did a number of tests but couldnt find anything wrong, they decided it was best keep me in just so they could monitor me, i was in for four days before being let out, however my problem wasn't solved at all, my mum and my brothers and sisters became more and more worried,they were annoying my gp everyday to do something. one day out of the blue i got a phone call and i was told i had to go immediately to hospital, i saw a specialist there,he examined me and immediately he recognised a swelling on my testicle,i had never noticed myself as i was too young and naive to check,i was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to have my testicle removed immediately, the problem was that because i hadn't noticed it earlier it had lead to swelling on my brain as a side effect, this caused severe damage to my memory,which may or may not ever repair,i was been treated for this swelling,when they finally got that under control my chemo started. during the first round of chemo i was kept in the hospital,the chemo knocked me for six, my appetite went, i had little or no energy, a crazy sleep pattern and i was never in the mood to talk to people which is highly unlike me. the first round of chemo lasted 3 weeks, before the chemo i had a big head of hair however i knew it was going to fall out so i eventuallly plucked up the courage and let my brother shave it off,to avoid clumps of hair on my pillow every mornin or hair in my food etc. for the next 3 rounds of chemo i was allowed to stay at home and just travel up and down to the hospital daily,this was absolutely exhausting, the four rounds of chemo spanned over about 3-4 months. when the chemo was finished i was relieved and thought i could try and get back to normal,get my energy levels back up,get my appetite back and try and regain some of the 2 stone i had lost and try and get back to my old self,however i was in for a shock,a few weeks later i was in for a scan,when the results came back i had to see a specialist,the news i was told was quite a bombshell,because i had not detected the cancer early it had spread,it was entwined in my stomach and the only way to remove it was a big operation,11-12 hours long to be precise. It was an amazing bombshell that was dropped on me,but i just had to grin and bear it,my family and friends were an amazing help and my amazing girlfriend who stood by me through it all also helped me come to terms with it,anyway the operation went ahead and i am still alive to tell the tale today,luckily all the cnacer in my stomach was removed and i am now fit and well. If even one person reading this gets offline and does a check on their privates and notices something abnormal,EVEN ONE, then i will feel a whole lot better about myself, here is the proof folks,early detection is absolutely vital, the longer it goes un-noticed the more chance there is it will spread and make matters worse,so spread the words,check your private bits regularly,i don't care how silly it sounds,it could be life-saving!!!

I have a lump underneath the skin of my penis, i know this dosent fit into testicular cancer, but its the closest thing to it. Im 16 years old.. and i keep telling myself its nothing, im too young to get cancer.. but im quite worried. its a small lump thats hardly noticable unless i have an erection. ive had it for 1 possibly two years, but im too afraid to go to the GP etc, as crazy as that sounds. can anyone offer me advice?

With cancer of the ovary most women will not notice anything in the early stages. It can take a long time for symptoms to occur. When symptoms do appear, they can be vague and quite mild. These can include: Poor appetite Vague indigestion or nausea Bloated feeling Swollen abdomen-caused by build up of fluid called ascites Pain or dragging sensation in the lower abdomen or side Abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge Change in bowel or bladder habits, such as constipation, diarrhoea or wanting to pass urine often Even though these symptoms can be caused by complaints other than cancer, it is very important that you have them checked out by your doctor

Most people who develop bowel cancer don't have a strong history of it in the family. The greatest single risk for developing bowel cancer is age. Our risk increases as we get older. Other risk factors for bowel cancer include lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise There are some families with a strong history of bowel cancer. This means : 1. One first degree relative who developed bowel cancer below the age of 45. (A first degree relative is a parent, brother, sister, son or daughter.) 2. Two or more first degree relatives on the same side of the family with bowel cancer at any age. Some types of bowel cancer that run in families can cause an increase in other types of cancers such as cancer of the womb, stomach, pancreas, ovary and kidney. So, if you have a relative with a bowel cancer and relatives on the same side of the family with these cancers, this may mean there is an inherited risk of cancer in your family. If you think you might have a strong family history of bowel cancer, the first step is to talk to your G.P. If your risk is higher than average you may be referred to a bowel specialist to discuss whether you should have bowel screening. Screening may be used to help to discover cancer early when the chance of treating it successfully is high

hi, last year i had a smear test done and the results came back Borderline Nuclear Changes, i had a repeat smear done a six months later which came back a few days ago as Grade 1 abnormal cells, and as a result have to have another smear in 6 months time. i am unsure as to what this means, am i on the road to getting cevical cancer??

Mesothelioma is a type of lung cancer. Your lungs are covered by two layers called the pleura. These layers are separated and kept moist by a small amount of fluid. The pleura are very thin and the fluid allows them to slide over each other with ease. This allows your lungs to expand and contract as you breath in and out. Mesothelioma causes the pleura to become hard or thicken and can cause a build up of fluid. This makes it more difficult for your lungs to expand and contract as normal, making it difficult to breath. Asbestos exposure is the main cause of pleural mesothelioma. When asbestos is broken or damaged it releases fibres into the air that are then breathed into the lungs. These fibres are very tiny and can reach into the smallest areas of the lung where they remain, too tiny to cough or breath out. The body attempts to break the fibres down and remove them unsuccessfully. This results in swelling in the surrounding lung tissue. The tiny fibres can also infiltrate through the lung and into the pleura where they can remain and slowly develop into mesothelioma. Those most commonly affected by asbestos exposure include builders, plumbers, electricians, shipbuilders. Symptoms of mesothelioma often do not arise for some years after asbestos exposure. Most patients will go to the GP complaining of breathing problems, this usually comes on gradually. Chest pain can also occur on the side of the tumour. Other symptoms include cough, loss of appetite, swallowing difficulties, weight loss, tiredness, hoarseness and sweating. Cancer Information Services National Cancer Helpline Freefone 1800 200 700 (mon-thurs 9am-7pm, fri 9am-5pm)