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Today’s breast conserving measures

The then and now of treatment and surgery Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Each year 1.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer and the incidence of breast cancer increases with age; more than 80 percent occur above age 50 and 35 percent above age 70. There are many diagnostic…
10 questions on radiation therapy

What is radiation therapy? Radiation Therapy or Radiation Oncology utilizes high-energy radiation that is closely monitored and controlled to deliver precisely targeted treatments. These precise treatments are custom designed individually for each patient. How is the radiation delivered? Radiation can be delivered externally (similar to an x-ray machine) or internally where radioactive sources are placed…
When all signs point to prostate cancer

Q&A with Dr. Byron Hodge on cryotherapy Central Florida Health News (CFHN): How long has cryotherapy been a treatment option for prostate cancer? Dr. Hodge: Cryotherapy or freezing has been around for many years as a treatment for disease, but as far as contemporary prostate cancer, probably in the early 1990s was when there was…

Signs & symptoms: When your skin needs medical attention

As a surgeon who often treats and cares for patients whose ailments of the skin have gone too long without medical attention, I’d like to talk about the importance of seeing a doctor right away if you find abnormalities on the skin. I hope people can be aware that it is not only important…
Body, mind & spirit: Integrating primary and behavioral care

When you go to the doctor complaining of stomach pain, you probably don’t expect your problem to be depression. But it just may be. When you complain of headache, clumsiness, dizziness, shakiness, blurred vision, tingling around the mouth and seizures, you might expect an anxiety or bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder. You may be surprised if…
Mediterranean diet for cardiovascular health

Dr. Sean P. O’Rourke is a board-certified cardiologist at Watson Clinic. With a subspecialty in cardiovascular disease, Dr. O’Rourke often sees patients suffering from heart disease. He took the time to answer some questions about heart disease, which has a higher death rate in Polk County than in the rest of Florida. Health…