Cancer Research Blog

Marlon Dirk asked:


It is highly likely that you have seen ads where employers are wanting medical billing and coding professionals. They are two of the most important careers in the healthcare industry, which is in high demand.

Though surely this is not the first time that you have heard about these terms, but do you really know what a medically billing and coding person does?

Both medical billing and coding belong to the group of service providers to doctors, who are too immersed in their professions to have the time to file for insurance claims to get paid for their services. Most patients today are tied with health insurance companies who pay for their healthcare needs. But how does the doctor get paid? They have to file claims for reimbursements for the services rendered to their patients. It is at this juncture that the medical billing and coding professionals step in.
A person knowledgeable in medical billing and coding is usually considered an expert in his field because of their highly-developed skills. These professionals are remunerated according to their training, experience, skills and the effective application of these skills. It is said that a medical billing or coding person can earn any where between $33,370 and $415,061 annually. This kind of income surely attracts many ambitious individuals in this field.

Which are the people or institution who seeks the help and support of medical billing and coding personnel? These would normally include physicians, clinics, hospitals, and patients in handling allied health issues. Also included are various medical offices and health insurance companies, and many more allied institutions. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical billing, coding and health information technicians are among the ten fastest growing careers in the healthcare industry.

It is important however to note that entering either medical billing of coding profession is an easy task. These jobs require a high degree of skill, expertise and experience in handling several important and critical areas of healthcare management including billing and accounts receivable, medical office management, insurance claims processing, submitting claims, etc.

The whole process of medical billing and coding would start much ahead of the patient actually turning up at the medical center and finishes long after the patient has been diagnosed and prescribed medicines. This is to avoid any delay, inaccuracy or miscommunication during filing for insurance claim.  Hence it is important to verify and rectify the insurance benefits much before the patient lands up at the clinic. After the doctor has seen the patient, his observations are recorded in the medical record which is converted into appropriate codes for coding the insurance claim.

While undoubtedly medical billing and coding can become a very challenging career it could be rewarding too if you can become an expert in the field. With proper education and training, the sky is the limit as far as your personal achievements are concerned in this field.

One of the best parts about this profession is that depending on the company that you work for, you could do the job from home too. This is a very viable option for many who enter this profession. All you need to do is to consult your local college or adult education center and make enquiries about the details about their medical billing and coding programs.



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Paul M. Jerard Jr. asked:


Yoga cannot replace the medical treatment that cancer survivors must experience. However, gentle, restorative yoga speeds the recovery process and provides therapeutic healing to a ravaged body.

Cancer does not discriminate, and strikes young and old with impunity. The good thing about yoga is that it offers an appropriate therapy, exercise program, and even life path, for anyone young, old, or in between. The benefits go far beyond improved flexibility and relaxation. Yoga sets cancer survivors on the road to healing, with a life-centered focus and a real way to cope.

Health care facilities, around the world, are now incorporating yoga therapy into their cancer recovery centers. Medical professionals are beginning to recognize the extraordinary benefits yoga provides to patients. The difficult road of recovery back from cancer is not always lit well enough within basic clinical care. Yoga focuses on the union of mind, body, breath, emotion, and spirit, to finally give cancer survivors a holistic leg to stand on.

People recovering, from most types of cancer, share at least a few maladies. Fatigue is the most common. Any time the body is subjected to high stress situations, such as - surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy and pain, fatigue is an obvious result.

As part of the recovery process - The body has been fighting a disease and then fighting to heal. Regular yoga practice will increase energy levels, and allow those recovering from cancer, to feel able again. Yoga postures strengthen and tone core muscles in the body. This low-impact movement also improves circulation and mobility.

The particular postures and yoga routine, that will help someone recovering from cancer, will be prescribed on an individual basis. There are many types of cancers, and what may benefit one recovery, or individual, may not be as effective in the case of another. That is why highly trained, and expert yogis, are so important for therapeutic yoga and cancer recovery. Knowledge of particular healing or therapeutic properties, of each posture, breathing method, and other yogic healing aspects, is indispensable.
Pranayama, or yoga breathing, focuses on specific breathing exercises that invoke relaxation and enhance optimum recovery. Yoga instruction often employs guided relaxation, meditation, breath awareness, visualization techniques, and guided breathing exercises.

Students are guided to find a peaceful place, where they release their anxiety and pain. Pranayama techniques also have an extremely beneficial impact on the nervous system. Focused breathing brings calm to the mind and body, allowing for healing. Stress is the number one enemy to effective healing.

As with many ailments, yoga students, recovering from cancer, often suffer from decreased range of movement. Along with increasing muscle strength, yoga postures improve range of movement and flexibility. Posture is also improved, allowing proper body alignment and balance. With freer movement and mobility, cancer survivors will begin to grow lighter in spirit and feel more independent.

Yoga for cancer recovery should focus on providing the most benefit possible. This means patients should not push past the point of pain. The important thing for anyone to remember, who has been through a serious medical procedure, is to begin slowly. Perform the yoga poses in a way that is comfortably challenging. There will be some discomfort on the road to recovery. Steadily press forward, and find the internal limits, but avoid approaching the pain threshold.

Yoga instructors need to remember that yoga therapy requires adapting yoga practice to individual needs. Each student’s case will be different. Each class period will be different. Teachers must also learn to be healers and “go the extra mile” for any student recovering from cancer.

Those recovering from cancer, who choose yoga practice to assist their healing, will benefit greatly across the board. In addition to regular yoga practice, pay close attention to diet and nutrition. Yoga nutrition focuses on natural, whole foods that support the body’s functions. Support your body in every possible way to make a complete recovery when healing from cancer.

Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Corwin Brown asked:


The prostate is a gland. It helps make semen, the fluid that contains sperm. The prostate surrounds the tube that carries urine away from the bladder and out of the body. A young man’s prostate is about the size of a walnut. It slowly grows larger with age. If it gets too large, it can cause problems. This is very common after age 50. The older men get, the more likely they are to have prostate trouble.

Prostate cancer is an abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells that results in the formation of a tumor in the prostate gland. Prostate, the walnut sized gland, is a part of the reproductive system which lies deep in the pelvis. It is located in front of the rectum and underneath the urinary bladder and surrounds the urethra, (the urine tube running from the bladder, through the prostate and the penis). It contains gland cells that produce some of the seminal fluid, which protects and nourishes sperm cells in semen and supports the ejaculatory ducts, or sperm tubes. The prostate continues to grow till a man reaches adulthood and is maintained after it reaches normal size as long as male hormones are produced.

The growth of prostate cells and the way the prostate gland works is dependent on the male sex hormone, testosterone, which is produced in the testicles.

Prostate cancer develops most frequently in men over fifty. This cancer can occur only in men, as the prostate is exclusively of the male reproductive tract. It is the most common type of cancer in men in the United States, where it is responsible for more male deaths than any other cancer, except lung cancer. However, many men who develop prostate cancer never have symptoms, undergo no therapy, and eventually die of other causes. Many factors, including genetics and diet, have been implicated in the development of prostate cancer.

NHL (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) is yet another common form of cancer. This refers to a the growth of a large group of cancers that affect the immunity system. The symptoms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are those of fever and weight loss, a sure sign that the immunity system has been affected. This is a cancer that can affect any age group, and its treatment is completely dependent on the stage of detection of the cancer.

Prostate cancer usually grows slowly and initially remains confined to the prostate gland, where it may not cause serious harm. While some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may need minimal or no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly. If prostate cancer is detected early — when it’s still confined to the prostate gland — you have a better chance of successful treatment.

Prostate cancer is found mainly in older men. As men age, the prostate may get bigger and block the urethra or bladder. This may cause difficulty in urination or can interfere with sexual function. The condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and although it is not cancer, surgery may be needed to correct it. The symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia or of other problems in the prostate may be similar to symptoms of prostate cancer.

Radical prostatectomy is a surgery to remove the whole prostate gland and the nearby lymph nodes. Most men who have this surgery are under general anesthesia (puts you into a sleep-like state). After the prostate gland is taken out, a catheter (a narrow rubber tube) is put through the penis into the bladder to carry urine out of the body until the area heals.



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Groshan Fabiola asked:


As years are passing by the number of patients with bowel cancer is increasing rapidly and it does not matter whether the patent is young or old or whether is women of men.

Generally cancer can not be cured but if one patient is diagnosed in an early stage of bowel cancer than there is hope of good recuperation after therapy.

The colon and rectum are a part of the large intestine and their function is to absorb nutrients and water from the food that passes through the intestine before it goes out of the body. Bowel cancer is the disease that affects the cells from the colon and rectum creating a malign or benign tumor. Bowel cancer generally means colon cancer, rectum cancer and anus cancer.

Cancer determines cells to divide in an uncontrollable way. Generally the cells of the body divide only when needed, like when they grow old and other cells need to be produced in order to replace them or when they are in a small amount and the body needs more of them. Because the cells are produced in an increased number, a mass of unknown tissue will form, known as a tumor (this tumor can be benign or malign). If the tumor is malignant it can spread to other organs giving metastasis.

If a person has polyps on the internal surface of the colon it is exposed to the risk of developing colorectal cancer it these polyps transform into cancerous polyps.

Patients come at the hospital because they feel tired, they are constipated, or have diarrhea for more than a week. Sometimes people observe that their stool is much thinner than before and that it comes with blood. They might be feeling abdominal pain, cramps, and bloating. Most of the patients loose a lot of weight in a short period of time and have a lack of appetite.

Those who have adopted western diets, are obese, are smoking and also follow a diet that is rich in proteins and fats and low in fiber are at risk to develop colorectal cancer. There are several factors that increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer: those who have a family history of colon cancer or other type of cancer is at risk; those who drink alcohol and follow an improper diet can develop this disease. Also, people who suffer of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diabetes, and familial adenomatous polyposis are exposed at a greater risk than others. There is a type of nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome which also occurs in the same family members but now people who are at risk can be identified through genetic screening.

In order to diagnose this disease the doctor will ask you about your symptoms and might palpate your abdomen and check out the rectum with his finger of course using a lubricated glove. Your doctor might send you to a specialist who will do some more tests in order to exclude the possibility of colorectal cancer. A useful test is the sigmoidoscopy and the colonoscopy which visualizes the inside of the colon and can tell the doctor whether there is a tumor or not. During this procedure if polyps are found they can be removed and if tumor is seen it can be taken out and sent to the laboratory for tests.

The barium enema can also be used, along with ultrasounds, CT and MRI scanning.

Colorectal cancer must be diagnosed in its early stages in order for the treatment to function at its maximum power. This is why periodically screenings and tests need to be done in those people who are at risk of developing this disease.

For greater resources on colon cancer or especially about colon cancer diet please visit this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com/colon-cancer-diet.htm



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Juliet Cohen asked:


Merkel Cell Cancer also known as Merkel cell carcinoma. MCC sometimes referred to as a neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin, arises from the uncontrolled growth of Merkel cells in the skin. Merkel cell carcinoma frequently appears as firm, painless, shiny lumps of skin. These lumps or tumors can be red, pink, or blue in color and vary in size from less than a quarter of an inch to more than two inches. Merkel cell carcinoma tends to spread fastly (metastasize) to other parts of your body. Merkel cell carcinoma is generally found on the sun-exposed areas of the head, neck, arms, and legs.

This type of cancer occurs mostly in whites between 60 and 80 years of age, but it can arise in people of other races and ages as well. Long-term sun exposure or having a weak immune system may augment your risk of developing Merkel cell carcinoma. The first sign of Merkel cell carcinoma is a fast-growing, painless nodule (tumor) on your skin. The shiny nodule may be skin colored or may seem in shades of red, blue or purple. If the skin cancer has spread to other parts of your body, you may experience swollen lymph nodes, pain or fatigue. MCC appears to be related to sun exposure and immunosuppression.

Sun exposure as a risk factor for MCC is supported by data that explain a rise in incidence corresponding with the solar UVB index. MCC has been associated to conditions such as Human immunodeficiency virus infection, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma (cancer of the lymph system), ectodermal dysplasia (an illness involving abnormal tissue development), and Cowden disease (a disease in which masses of abnormal but benign tissues develop in multiple sites in the body). Surgery is the most common treatment for MCC. Surgery with broad margins is the recommended treatment for MCC.

Mohs micrographic surgery, a method in which individual layers of tissue are removed and examined under a microscope until all cancerous tissue has been removed, may be used instead of traditional surgery with extensive margins. Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy the cancer cells or prevent them from dividing. Prevention is better than cure. Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or greater when you head outdoors. Avoid sun exposure as much as likely from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wear a wide-brimmed hat, tightly woven clothing and sunglasses with ultraviolet light (UV) protection.



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Juliet Cohen asked:


Most cancers are named after the part of the body where the cancer first begins, and kidney cancer is no exception. As kidney cancer grows, it may invade organs near the kidney. Kidney cancer begins in the kidneys two large, bean-shaped organs one located to the left, and the other to the right of the backbone. Some of the areas it affects are the liver , colon, and pancreas . Renal is the Latin word for kidney, and kidney cancer may also be referred to as renal cancer. Kidney cancer cells may also break away from the original tumor and spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. When kidney cancer spreads, cancer cells may appear in the lymph nodes.

Causes of Kidney Cancer

The common Causes and risk factors of Kidney Cancer :

Smoking.

High blood pressure.

Obesity.

Poor diet.

Tuberous sclerosis.

Family history.

Symptoms of Kidney Cancer

Some Symptoms of Kidney Cancer :

A lump or mass in the kidney area.

Weight loss.

High blood pressure.

Side pain that does not go away.

Blood in the urine.

Loss of appetite.

Fever.

Fatigue.

Treatment of Kidney Cancer

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells, and is also sometimes used to relieve pain when kidney cancer has spread to the bone.

Biological therapy is a treatment that uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells.

Hormone therapy is used in a small number of patients with advanced kidney cancer to try to control the growth of cancer cells.

The whole kidney is removed along with the adrenal gland, tissue around the kidney, and, sometimes, lymph nodes in the area.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Groshan Fabiola asked:


One of the Fastest Growing Professions

There are myriad reasons for you to focus your efforts towards building a career as a medical assistant! Although the medical assistant profession can be very challenging, involving a lot of dedication and responsibility, it also brings many financial and personal satisfactions. Undoubtedly, medical assistants have always been considered to be major components of the healthcare industry, fulfilling a set of vital roles in the medical offices. As a medical assistant, you have the opportunity to offer a very important service to the community, by participating actively in the ongoing process of patients’ care and by channeling your efforts towards improving the patients’ health.

Unlike other professions in the medical field, the medical assistant profession involves a lot of interaction and communication, both with the monitored patients and with other members of the medical staff. Thus, besides being the main healthcare provider for patients, as a medical assistant you also have the opportunity to offer patients a lot of moral support. Due to its eclectic nature and the pronounced level of interaction with people, the medical assistant profession is considered to be a very demanding profession, requiring a wide range of practical and theoretical skills, good decision making abilities, good communication skills and nevertheless, a lot of talent!

Although a career as a medical assistant can be very challenging, it also brings a lot of satisfaction! Apart from the noble and altruistic nature of the profession which allows practitioners to offer an important service to the community, ensuring the well-being of patients, the medical assistant profession is also very lucrative and financially stable. While an inexperienced medical assistant may at first earn an annual $20,000 salary, fully qualified medical assistants may eventually earn more than $40, 000 a year.

Due to the ongoing development and expansion of the healthcare industry, the request for medical assistants is very acute in present and it is expected to further grow in the coming years, thus rendering the medical assistant career stable and secure on professional level. In addition, well-trained medical assistants have very good prospects for promotion in the medical field, being able to qualify for various administrative occupations or become medical technology professionals.

In order to fulfill your dream of becoming a qualified medical assistant, it is very important not to neglect your professional training. Keep in mind that proper medical assistant training is crucial for becoming certified and acquiring important credentials in a short period of time. At first, medical assistant training focuses on familiarizing you with the basics, later helping you to further expand your knowledge and overall practical skills required.

The best thing to do in order to ensure a secure career in the field is to attend a high quality medical assistant training program at a highly recognized medical assistant school. By attending to a good medical assistant school, you will be able to polish your skills as a medical assistant and become a true professional in your branch. The medical assistant training you will receive in a highly recognized medical assistant school will greatly increase your chances of obtaining your desired certifications and accreditations from the first try, allowing you to build the scaffolds of a promising career in no time!

There are various medical assistant schools out there, each of them offering different advantages and disadvantages. The trick to finding the most appropriate medical assistant school for you is to carefully decide upon the level of professional medical assistant training you wish to achieve and to analyze the resources you benefit from; you should know exactly how much time, money and effort you are willing to invest in your medical assistant training long before you start attending to the courses of a certain medical assistant school. For instance, although they may offer similar credentials, some medical assistant schools have the advantage of allowing students to graduate sooner than others.

In order to find out exactly what to expect from a certain kind of medical assistant training offered by a given medical assistant school, it is very important to do a little research before choosing the most appropriate educational program for you. After you have decided upon a medical assistant training program, you should maintain your motivation levels high and work hard to achieve your pre-established goals. While some training programs may be better than others, and some medical assistant schools may be more popular than others, in the end the success of your medical assistant career is direct proportional with your motivation, dedication and not to mention, talent!

So, if you want to find out more information about medical assistant or about medical assistant training, or even about medical assistant school please follow these links.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Groshan Fabiola asked:


There are several known factors that increase the risk of a person developing colon cancer. These factors can be split into two categories: the ones that you can have control over and the second category those that you have no control over.

What you eat can make a difference in developing colon cancer. As you can see, this is a factor that we have some control over. Studies have shown that eating fat or fatty foods increases the risk of developing colon cancer. Furthermore, if your diet does not contain the necessary amount of fiber, then you are at risk of developing colon cancer as well. So, believe it or not, diet is a factor when talking about colon cancer. You should try to avoid those foods that have a lot of fat in them, although I know they are so tasty. If you care about your health and also want to lower the risk of colon cancer, you will!

Environment is also another risk factor for colon cancer. You can say that this factor is somewhere between those two categories. Studies have shown that people that live in industrialized countries are more at risk of developing colon cancer. The actual cause of getting colon cancer is not known, but because the majority of people that suffer from colon cancer live in these areas, then you can safely say that environment is one of the risk factors.

Age is also a risk factor when it comes to colon cancer. Unfortunately, we have no control over this factor. This is probably one of the most important factors in developing colon cancer. Because we have no control over it, all we can do is try to detect colon cancer when we approach a certain age. If found in it’ s early stages, colon cancer can be cured. This is the reason why, doctors advice people over fifty to have colon cancer tests every year.

Another risk factor on the list of factors that we have no control over is family history. If there is colon cancer history in your family, then you are more at risk of developing colon cancer as well. Furthermore, if there is also history of polyps or bowel disease, then that puts you at risk of having colon cancer too. In these cases, doctors usually recommend screening for colon cancer earlier than in other colon cancer risk people.

For more resource on different colon cancer subjects please click this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com. You can also find valuable information about colon cancer diet or even about stage3 colon cancer



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Robaltion asked:

i hope she gets well soon.

Posted by Nikhil Gupta