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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…

Antiplatelet and Anticoagulation Therapy

With the increase in longevity and improvement in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, a sizable proportion of Americans are on either an antiplatelet agent or full anticoagulation. These are commonly known as blood thinners. In the next two columns, I’ll talk about the most commonly used blood thinners. Common indications for requiring antiplatelet agents are…
Celebrating Glaucoma Awareness Month

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. What is Glaucoma? Glaucoma is a disease where the optic nerve in the eye becomes damaged over time. Each eye has an optic nerve. This nerve acts like a cable sending information about what you see to the brain. This is just like a cable to your television. Without treatment,…
Smoking Hurts More Than Your Lungs

I cannot really believe that the holidays are upon us already. This year has been like no other with its usual mix of pain and pleasure. I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the role of lifestyle in the management of vascular disease that can lend a sense of control in its otherwise…