Signs and Symptoms of Brain Cancer

You get a headache in the afternoon, take medicine to reduce the pain and think nothing of it. Suddenly a headache persists and you experience some nausea. These symptoms are fairly common in your average person, however mixed with other symptoms, they can potentially mean that there is a brain tumor. Although not all brain tumors are cancerous, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms so that in the event of such symptoms, you’ll know to consult a doctor at the earliest stages. Signs are a warning signal, and in the possibility of cancer, should be taken seriously.

Here are warning signs of a brain tumor and brain cancer:

• Headaches
• Seizures
• Clumsiness
• Weakness
• Speech and Communication Difficulty
• Blurred Vision
• Sleepiness

Let’s break them down.

Headaches

Now, if you have a headache you shouldn’t automatically assume you have brain cancer. However, if your headaches are frequent and severe, as well as combined with other symptoms, then you should consult a doctor.

Headaches are a common symptom with brain tumors and brain cancer. Although headaches are common in people without tumors, the frequency and intensity of your headaches could indicate that there is a brain tumor. Not all tumors are cancerous, but cancer can grow in brain tumors over time.

Seizures

Seizures can occur for a multitude of reasons, however one reason could be a tumor forming in the brain. If you have a seizure, you should go to the hospital for doctors to run tests.

Clumsiness

A lack of motor skills could be cause by the tumor affecting the part of the brain for motor function. Clumsiness, lack of balance, and the inability to coordinate movement are all signs a tumor may be affecting the cranial nerves.

Weakness/Numbness

There is a part of the brain that connects to your spinal chord and directs how your body moves. A loss of feeling in the face or other muscles, as well as a feeling of weakness could indicate that a tumor is forming on the brain stem. If you experience symptoms of weakness and tingling, along with other symptoms listed, you should consult a doctor right away.

Speech and Communication Difficulty

A brain tumor can affect your entire thinking process, how you communicate and even your memory. Big shifts in personality and behavior are recognizable signs of a tumor on the front part of your brain. It’s easy for a person with a tumor to forget things, experience confusion, and have a change in their behavior.  

Although a benign tumor is less serious than a malignant tumor, tumors come in all shapes and sizes– with the possibility to form on any cell in your brain. While many of these signs and symptoms could be from other causes that are less threatening, it’s important to know your body and seek a doctor’s opinion if there is any chance of brain cancer.

Risks of Plastic Surgery

Whatever your reasons are, if you’re considering plastic surgery, it is imperative that you discuss the risks with your surgeon before going under the knife. Make sure you have the opportunity to ask all of your questions and that you are fully aware of any potential complications before your surgery.

Although the chances of complications from plastic surgery are slim, any surgery involves an element of risk. The anesthesia administered to patients can come with its own set of risks, including blood clots, pneumonia and (very rarely) death. You should be in relatively good health before undergoing any kind of cosmetic procedure, so make sure you take the time to have an in-depth conversation with your surgeon so you can evaluate your risk and do everything you can to prepare for and recover from the surgery. Here are some of the risks you should be aware of:

• Nerve damage: Nerve damage, though rare, is a risk of many surgical procedures, ranging from a slight tingling or numbness following the surgery to total loss of feeling in the surgical area.
• Hematoma: A hematoma is a large pocket of blood that resembles a bruise. It is a relatively common complication of cosmetic procedures, occurring in one to six percent of breast augmentation procedures. It is the most common complication associated with facelifts.
• Infection: Infection at the surgical site is a risk of any surgery, and although postoperative procedures are designed to reduce the risk of infection, it is always a risk.
• Scarring: There is usually some amount of scarring with any surgery. The scar may fade over time to be nearly invisible, or it may linger, depending on the severity of the surgery. Breast augmentation carries a 2-5 percent risk of hypertrophic scarring, which is a red and thick raised scar.
• Blood clot: Although blood clots are very rare, they can also be very deadly if they break off and travel to the lungs or brain.
• Blood loss: Some amount of blood loss is expected with any surgery, but a complication involving uncontrollable blood loss or internal bleeding post-op could be deadly.
• Organ damage: Although uncommon if you go with an experienced surgeon, certain procedures can be traumatic for internal organs. Liposuction can put stress on organs and surgical tools could cause perforations or punctures.
• Disappointing results: Although less severe than any of the other complications, there is always the chance that, after investing a lot of money into your surgery, you will come away dissatisfied with your appearance.

The most important thing when undergoing plastic surgery is to have realistic expectations. Make sure you review the credentials of your surgeon and the facility where you will be having the surgery, and bring up any questions or concerns well in advance.

Making Radiation Therapy Less Scary for Kids Receiving Treatment

Cancer is a devastating and deadly disease claiming 7.6 million lives around the world each year and finding 12.7 million new victims diagnosed with the disease. The three words no one ever wants to hear in their lifetime are, “You have cancer.” It’s tragic enough when an older adult discovers they have cancer and will have to fight an uphill battle for their lives, but when a child with so many years ahead of them is diagnosed with cancer, it’s all the more devastating. Some children diagnosed with cancer are too young to even fully understand the disease, only knowing that it will involve pain and discomfort.

One of the most common forms of treatment, particularly in combination with other treatments, is radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is primarily used to treat localized cancers concentrated in a single area of the body. High-energy rays aimed from a machine target and destroy cancer cells while sparing as many healthy cells as possible.

The procedure can be frightening for anyone receiving the treatment due to the claustrophobic effect of the radiation machine and the need to remain absolutely still. It can be especially traumatic for children which is why many under the age of 15 receive anesthesia for their treatments. Researchers from the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology may have discovered an effective alternative in the form of videos.

For the full blog, head on over to MichaelChinWorcester.com, and be sure to check out the video below.

My Video Resume

Michael Chin's Video Resume from Michael Chin on Vimeo.

Transcript:

• Growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts, Michael Chin always dreamed of being a doctor. When he enrolled at the University of Virginia, he began his pursuit of his chosen profession: Medicine.
• While an undergraduate student, Chin sought out various leadership roles and stood out in these positions.
• Michael Chin's Notable Achievements at University of Virginia: Worked as a research assistant in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston; Studied radiation treatment outcomes for Hodgkin’s disease patients; Led a detailed analysis on a subgroup of patients with Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkin’s Disease.
• Post-Graduate Success: Michael graduated from UVA in 2002, and then attended an intensive pre-med program atTuft University. In 2004, he was admitted to Tufts University School of Medicine.
• While attending medical school, Michael Chin held many research positions: Research assistant at Baystate Plastic Surgery (for a retrospective study on the results of mastopexy and reduction mammoplasty after breast conserving therapy with radiation); Research associate at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, working for the Division of Plastic Surgery studying wound healing; Manuscript reviewer for Tissue Engineering and FASEB Journal
• After holding so many prestigious research positions, Michael received his medical degree with a Research Honors while winning multiple awards for his research in plastic surgery.
• After medical school, Michael Chin moved to Worcester for his residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School as a plastic surgery resident. He also began to co-investigate at the University of Massachusetts and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. At UMass, he built a strong research team that conducted privately funded studies to examine the effects and possible mitigation of radiation induced skin injury in irradiated mice. By the end of his third year at UMass, Michael was appointed to a faculty position as Instructor of Radiation Oncology. Michael’s work in hyperspectral imaging resulted in a patent filing for a novel method of radiation exposure detection.
• Today, Michael Chin is still in Worcester as a research fellow in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Questioning Gene Editing

When it comes to the new gene-editing therapy known as CRISPR, the scientific community appears to be divided. While its applications for disease prevention are encouraging, the ethical implications and the unknown repercussions related to individual health remain a serious concern.

But where do the patients stand when it comes to the use of gene-editing therapy?

According to representatives from various patient advocacy organizations, the jury is still out on whether this technology is really a positive thing. People are still concerned about getting more information in order to make the proper choices.

“We’re a long way from a final opinion on any of these issues,” says Richard Hynes, a cancer researcher and co-chair of the national committee from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “[It’s a] a discussion, not a finalization of opinions.”

To move the discussion forward, the medical community needs to learn more about the technology and base decisions on facts, not fear of the unknown.

Extraordinary Results With New T-cell Therapy

Scientists have been using the immune T-cells to target cancers, producing extraordinary results. Patients who would typically only have a few months to live are now in remission.

The scientists have shown that this process, which involves the engineering of immune cells to target a specific type of blood cancer, has been very successful in their early clinical trials.

Widespread implementation of this practice will take some time, as is the case with all medical advancements. Not to mention the use of T-cell therapy is very dangerous and typically only used as a last resort. But for those patients who have exhausted all other options, the early results of this process is extremely promising.

The T-cell therapy is administered by removing immune cells from patients and then tagging them with receptor molecules that target a specific cancer. The cells are then infused back in the body.

Speaking at the annual meeting for the American Association for the Advancement for Science (AAAS), researcher Stanley Riddell said: “This is unprecedented in medicine, to be honest, to get response rates in this range in these very advanced patients.” In one of the studies, 94% of participants with acute lymphoblastic leukemia saw symptoms vanish completely.

So far, these tests have only targeted certain blood cancers. More will need to be done to determine how long patients remain in remission; cancer cells can sometimes hid unnoticed by the body’s defenses, or instead, overwhelm the defense systems and throw the immune system into overdrive.

“Much like chemotherapy and radiotherapy, it’s not going to be a save-all,” Riddell said of the new therapy, adding: “I think immunotherapy has finally made it to a pillar of cancer therapy.”

To learn more about this study, please check out this Guardian article.

Ibuprofen Patch Delivers Pain Relief Through Your Skin

Story: Researchers have invented a medicinal, adhesive patch that can be directly placed onto the skin to deliver controlled doses of ibuprofen.

Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which works to reduce hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body. It is also commonly used to reduce fever and treat pain or inflammation caused by many conditions such as headache, toothache, back pain, arthritis, menstrual cramps and minor injuries. There are a number of different companies that produce the drug in pill form, including Advil, Midol, Motrin, and Caldolor.

A new variation of the drug may soon be available, however, as Scientists from the University of Warwick are currently working to patent the world’s first ibuprofen patch. The patch is designed to deliver the drug consistently to the affected area, straight through the individual's skin.

While there are currently medicinal patches and gels available, this is the first one invented that allows for the delivery of medicine to be controlled. The patch also provides a much easier application: the company claims that it is also designed for better adhesion versus existing products on the market.

“Our technology now means that we can, for the first time, produce patches that contain effective doses of active ingredients such as ibuprofen for which no patches currently exist. Also, we can improve the drug loading and stickiness of patches containing other active ingredients to improve patient comfort and outcome,” stated Professor David Haddleton, University of Warwick research chemist, in a press release. 

This new technology will also pave the way for the development of long-acting and easily accessible, over the counter pain relief products than can address common concerns such as chronic back pain, arthritis, and neuralgia. Furthermore, it has the distinct advantage of allowing users to avoid the potentially harmful side-effects of taking doses orally.