People who have a history of drug use or abuse in their families are at risk for drug addiction problems. It has been proven that children of alcoholics will exhibit addictive tendencies. Children of alcoholics or drug users generally have low self-esteem and see their parents escaping from problems using drugs. When they see this, their minds say that this is the way to act and they themselves become users.

There is also a biological basis for causing drug addiction. Drugs alter the brain’s chemicals and the way the brain functions. Drug addiction creates dependence in the brain by changing the brain’s reward functions – the part that reinforces certain behaviors.

Prescription drug addiction is caused by the person’s inability to function without the drug in their system. People become addicted to prescription drugs because they usually are taking them to overcome some type of pain. They begin to feel that if they are not taking their pills, the pain will return.

Some people are more prone to addiction than others. People who have low self-esteem, are often depressed, and who feel they have no control over their lives will often turn to drugs as a way to cope. They often feel they can’t please the people around them so they have to change themselves in order to fit in. The change is made easier by using drugs because the drugs transform them into someone and something that they are not.

Stress is often attributed as a cause of drug addiction. Life can be very stressful no matter who you are. Some of us are better able to cope with stress than others. Others still just look for an easy way to forget their stress – and that easy way is through drugs. Once the drug use starts, it’s often difficult to get away from it because the stresses will still be there once the high is gone, so the user feels he or she needs more drugs to cope. That type of cycle leads to addiction.

Finally, drugs are easily accessible. They are available in many places if you just ask around for them. Because of that easy access, it’s more likely that a person will begin using eventually becoming addicted.

The causes of drug addiction are wide and varied. The key to stopping drug addiction is to get rid of those causes before they become a problem.

For tips on chipped bone, cracked rib symptoms and other information, visit the Health And Nutrition Tips website.

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Such as self serving approach is clearly ludicrous it deliberately ignores the established fact that conventional treatments of cancer , based on either scientific fact or imperial discoveries, can cure at least one third of all cancer patients, essentially controlling their disease to such an extend as to given then normal life expectancy. The real objective is to see whether this successful fraction can be even marginally increased by the correct use of all therapeutic resources. Every day, 1100 citizens of the US die of cancer. If it were possible to decrease this number by even one tenth, this would mean the saving of 110 lives a day, 770 a week, 3300 a moth, and 40,000 in the course of the year.

We firmly believe that supplemental ascorbate used correctly alongside conventional methods of treating cancer has very much greater potential than that. It seems abundantly clear that ascorbic acid is directly involved in many of the natural mechanism that protect an individual against cancer. Cancer itself, as we have seen, depletes the body’s stores of ascorbate and is almost always associated with some measurable impairment of its immune mechanism. Therefore, as a matter or principle, no matter what form of established cancer treatment is employed, active steps should be taken to ensure that he patients ascorbate reserves are constantly kept high in order to allow this protective immune system to function always at maximum efficiency.

The value of surgery in the treatment of cancer is beyond dispute. If the tumor is still localized to an organ or tissue that can be safely excised without undue risk to the patient, such a step is undoubtedly the treatment of choice.

“Cut it out and throw it away” may seem to be a most primitive and unsophisticated approach, but it is still far and away the most effective treatment we have.

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INDIA IN MEDICAL TOURISM

Today’s India offers World Class Medical Facilities, comparable with any of the western countries. India has state of the art Hospitals and the best qualified doctors. With the best infrastructure, the best possible Medical facilities, accompanied with the most competitive prices, you can get the treatment done in India at the lowest charges.

Patients from around the globe are beginning to realize the enormous potential of modern and traditional Indian medicine. Indian hospitals, medical establishments and the government of India have also realized the potential of this niche segment and have begun to tailor their services for foreign visitors. International marketing divisions have been set up by most of the top India Hospitals like Apollo, Max, Fortis, Wockhardt, etc. A few top Medical tourism providers are Asiahealth, MedicalSingapore, ThaiMediHealth are helping the hospitals in this task. At a regional level, this nascent healthcare industry came to limelight with the arrival of ‘Naby Noor’ from Pakistan, who came for her Heart Surgery treatment to a hospital in Bangalore. Quite a few Indian state governments have with time, realized the potential of this ‘Healthcare industry’ and have been actively promoting it.

Visitors, especially from the United States of America, United Kingdom and the middle-east find Indian hospitals a very affordable and viable option to coping with insurance and National medical systems in their respective countries. Travelers prefer to combine their medical treatments with a visit to the ‘exotic east’ with their families, visiting places like the Taj Mahal in Agra, the palaces in Rajasthan, the serene beaches in Goa and the mountains of Kashmir and the backwaters of Kerela among others. The total price of an overseas treatment with airfare, hotel accommodation and even a few days of vacation is often far less than just the procedure cost back in the US or UK. The year 2003 and 2004 saw a trickle of tourists from the healthcare systems of western countries seeking medical treatment in India. By the year 2005 and 2006 this became a deluge, much of it propelled by a blast of free publicity from programmes like 60 Minutes.

Judging by the buzz in the hospital circuit, it won’t be very long before every cosmopolitan private hospital offers yoga, ayurvedic massages, aromatherapy, mudbaths, pranic healing, reiki and meditation classes. With time more and more visitors will flock to this part of the globe for their treatment and relaxtion needs.

For any guidance or assistance, feel free to contact Dr. Azimuddin

Sunita Joshi, freelance writer. Post graduate in Economics. For more help with medical queries visit : http://www.india4health.com or http://www.Indiaheals.com

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Osteoarthritis

There is no specific cause of osteoarthritis, a condition that affects a large number of the population; however it is known that excessive wear and tear on the joints, especially the hips, knees, ankles, toes and hands, can be a factor in triggering the condition, as can an injury to a joint and being overweight.

It is also believed that arthritis can be hereditary. Indications are that most people carry the potential to develop arthritis, but that some lifestyles and/or physical properties within the body can deter it from occurring. Osteoarthritis is generally suspected when the sufferer experiences pain and/or stiffness in the joints and ligaments.

Tests, x-rays and scans can establish whether the cartilage between joints, which helps with smooth movement, has weakened or thinned. When this occurs, the affected bone’s joint may become rough and this causes real pain when it rubs together with an adjacent bone.

In rare cases extra bone growth on the joints can occur as a result of a benign pineal gland tumour within the brain. Because of this it is wise to inform your doctor if you think that arthritis is present. A true tumour of the pineal gland will have other distinct distinguishing symptoms.

Osteoarthritis is generally progressive, yet changes in lifestyle can be made which in some cases can help to control and alleviate this condition.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is caused when the sufferer’s bodily defence mechanisms, for no apparent reason, start to attack the joints causing inflammation and consequently pain. The condition tends to make itself known within months rather than years and symptoms can fluctuate.

Having been diagnosed, medical assistance should be sought when experiencing periods of real inflamation so that the damage to the joints can be minimized. This said, not everyone experiences this and some sufferers are able to live with a low grade form of the condition for years.

Juvenile Arthritis

Affecting children from very young babies onwards, Juvenile Arthritis is a painful condition that requires medical attention. Often contracted through an infectious illness, the condition may not be one that parents initially think of, especially when faced with a crying child.

Children and babies who appear to be in pain when they move should be taken to a medical doctor as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment.

Self help for Adults

The arthritis sufferer can:

- It’s best to keep the affected joints warm.

- In order to protect the joints it is necessary to take suitable precautions. e.g. if you have arthritis in the leg joints do not deliberately climb up stairs when an alternative is available. Climbing one stair puts a big strain on the knee, for example. Naturally, climbing flights of stairs will unnecessarily enhance the strain and pain

- Do not spend long periods of the day standing. Try to take the weight off the affected joints

- When kneeling, kneel on a cushion or pad – Some people find that taking a fish oil or EPA supplement is beneficial. Many people have found that a good chondroitin and glucosamine supplement has proved helpful, particularly when taken in combination with MSM

- If arthritis is present in the hands, wear rubber gloves when doing washing up or other wet jobs

- Do the exercises recommended by health professionals – If overweight, try to lose some of it. Less weight on a joint equates with less pain

Medical Diagnosis

If Arthritis is suspected, doctors will recommend blood and other tests, possibly including x-rays. Anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers may be prescribed. They may also refer the patient to a local hospital for specialised treatment. Arthritis can be enormously incapacitating, but with the right mental attitude and approach, even the most severe pain can be successfully managed.

Consult a fully qualified hypnotherapist who is experienced in pain management and you can learn how to enter hypnosis and control your pain even after you have emerged from hypnosis. IMPORTANT: This information is not a replacement for medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to consult your doctor or health care advisor if you are experiencing any signs or symptoms of arthritis.

Peter Field is a leading British hypno-psychotherapist with clinics in London and Birmingham, England. He is a Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy & Fellow of the Royal Society of Health. His unique hypnosis downloads & CDs are now available. For hypnosis pain management please visit his therapy site.

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It is a very painful problem, you lose your mobility because of his problem. This problem can be diagnosed only if a few blood test and x ray is taken to confirm that you are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

The cause of this particular problem has not been discovered till today but there are a lot of suspicions about bacteria, virus and fungi being the major reason for this problem but none of these suspicions have been proved right. Doctors also say that the reason for rheumatoid arthritis could also be genetic.

If your parents have it then you also make a chance to go through this problem. In case the immune system is not directed properly than there are chances of the tissues being triggered?

What are the symptoms?

There are a lot of symptoms it various from different parts of the body:

Joints-your joints have the chances of getting swollen, you will start the stiffness and it might also be painful while moving around. You might find more pain early in the morning or after a particular time when you haven’t moved.

Skin- you will find a lot of difference in your skin and sometimes you find purple coloration where the problem has occurred.

What is the treatment for this problem?

When the reason for the problem has not discovered than how will a treatment be judged only when we get to know what exactly the problem is then we can take up a few steps to solve this problem. Nowadays you find treatments which bring down the symptoms of this problem on the other hand it does not let the problem to grow to far too it is better to treat yourself but prevention is better than cure any day.

The major goal of the treatment is that it avoids further joint destruction and if the disease is not checked at the right time then there are lots of chances for the person to become handicapped also. A person who is above the age of 40 cannot afford to take so much pain. When old age comes it becomes very difficult to take care of your body. There is also a therapy called cortisone therapy but then this therapy has not given long term results, the problem is cured for some time but there are chances of it to occur again.

Abortion Clinic – Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women’s Center in March 1996. Free HIV Testing, physical examinations, family planning and counseling.

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Natural Cures for Insomnia

If you are interested in finding an effective natural cure for insomnia, you may want to start off by trying some Valerian Root. Regular use of Valerian Root can promote deep relaxation and sleep, and so this is definitely something that you should be interested in trying.

There are certain side effects that are commonly associated with this natural cure for insomnia however, which is why so many people are wary of taking it. The last thing that you want is to have a treatment for your insomnia that is actually worse than your insomnia condition, which is often the case with Valerian root.

Another of the most popular and effective natural cures for insomnia is chamomile. Chamomile has actually been used for centuries as a sleep aid and can be administered in a number of different ways. One of the most pleasant ways to take chamomile is in a tea, because you can drink a glass at night when you are going to bed and feel soothed and relaxed.

Chamomile tea, which is made from the dried flowers and leaves of the chamomile plant, often proves as being most effective and so it is the method of taking chamomile that you should try first if you want to get the best results. Honey is also said to promote sleep and is a good wholesome, natural cure for insomnia. You can take it in your tea, or just have some on toast.

The best idea, even better than using medication or natural cures to treat your insomnia, is to actually deal with the root cause of your insomnia. This way you are not just covering up the symptoms that you are experiencing, but instead deal with the cause of your insomnia so that you can get rid of it for once and for all. There are various possible causes of insomnia, and you will need to get in to see your doctor if you want to find out the particular cause in your case.

If you love this article, you will also love another article written by this article’s author on sound therapy machine and Marpac sleep mate 980.

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“Given the considerable time that has passed since PSA screening began, most of this excess incidence must represent overdiagnosis,” the authors write. “All overdiagnosed patients are needlessly exposed to the hassle factors of obtaining treatment, the financial implications of the diagnosis, and the anxieties associated with becoming a cancer patient…”

The increased diagnosis has been most dramatic among younger men: more than tripling since 1986 in men aged 50-59 (from 58.4 to 212.7 per 100, 000) and more than a sevenfold increase in men under age 50 (from 1.3 to 9.4 per 100,000).

In an accompanying editorial, Otis W. Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, writes, “We desperately need the ability to predict which patient has a localized cancer that is going to metastasize and cause suffering and death and which patient has a cancer that is destined to stay in the patient’s prostate for the remainder of his life.”

Specialists in prostate cancer have recognised for a long time that they diagnose and treat more men with prostate cancer than actually benefit and, at the same time, many men with significant prostate cancer are diagnosed too late.

Almost 10,000 men die from prostate cancer in the UK each year, having received either inadequate treatment or were beyond curative intervention at the time of diagnosis. Furthermore, a massive European study has shown that testing a man’s PSA can reduce the chance of dying from prostate cancer by around 20 per cent or more.

So what strategies should we follow? As it turns out, more specialists try to direct men with prostate cancer to active monitoring, which is intense observation, when there is enough doubt that surgery or radiotherapy is needed.

This tactic avoids “overtreatment” but hopefully keeps the window still open for successful surgery or radiotherapy if the need becomes obvious. Furthermore, the treatments themselves have become less toxic. Big incisions have been replaced with keyhole incisions, and, computers assist surgeons in the most difficult steps – so called “robotic prostatectomy” or “da Vinci Prostatectomy.”

Small incisions and computer assistance have reduced the time in hospital and allowed men to return to work, leisure and other activities in much shorter periods. Thus, technical and strategic innovations in both diagnosis and treatment have meant that the number of men overtreated or suffering from the problems associated with treatment is probably much less than before.

Marc Laniado is a Consultant Urologist at Harley Street Urology who are UK experts is prostate cancer testing and treatments.

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In our modern day culture health & well being and the way we look and feel about ourselves is more important than ever. We face a bigger problem than ever in effectively dealing with all sorts of health problems. Unfortunately acne is a huge problem for many teens and even adults and I’m sure you will agree with me when I say it seems to never go away. But, I will assure you now that there ARE cures out there and they definitely work.

My Acne Problem

The issue when it comes to dealing with acne is that when one cure works for one person, it doesn’t work for the other. I myself had to go through countless over-the-counter remedies and harsh prescription drugs only to see the awkward and embarrassing side effects on top of my acne. I struggled with acne for fours years during my late teens and everything I tried had no effect and at best I would be left with horrible itchy and dry skin. As my acne started developing years ago I tried a few natural methods that I thought would work great, as I generally believe in natural remedies over harsh chemicals produced in labs. When none of these methods had much effect I resorted to prescribed medication from the doctor. Although this works for some people, I later regretted it very much and still to this date fear what effects these products had on my body. Accutane, although it works for some people, is something I deeply regret having ever taken. I really wouldn’t recommend anything that harsh unless all else has failed.

My Acne Cure

My Acne was worse than ever and I was desperately looking for new remedies, I was really willing to try anything. It came to my attention one day that the skin of a friend who was also suffering from acne seemed to look far cleaner and more pure than it usually was. I was startled by this as his severe acne appeared to be fading during the course of a week. I immediately asked him what he did and was hoping he wasn’t just in a very lucky temporary phase. What he told me quite honestly astounded me, at first I didn’t believe him as normally I’m very skeptical of anything that doesn’t have solid evidence behind it, but later on he showed me the book he had bought. After reading through it I was speechless, I still couldn’t quite believe this method could work it just seemed too easy and in a way just too obvious and simple. He showed me the website he bought it off and after reading through the entire site I was finally convinced to give it a try. After buying myself a copy I went straight out to buy the required items I would need and prepared everything to get started the following day. The items weren’t expensive at all and I could easily find everything in my shopping mall.

The next day I strictly followed the procedure throughout the entire day without any exceptions. I kept this up through the three day period as directed in the book and followed the advice given after. My results were as follows:

Morning After Day 1: Not a huge difference but my major zits seemed to be fading and stopped hurting.
Morning After Day 2: My skin was visibly clearer and felt smoother, major bumps were also gone.
Morning Of Day 3: I had a fright when I looked at myself in the mirror. My acne had made a HUGE transformation overnight. The redness had faded almost entirely and although I still had acne it was at least half of what it was before I started the program. I was so happy!

I couldn’t believe it just a week ago my acne was so bad it was pulling me into a depression I still thought I was dreaming when I woke up on day 3. My friends acne had improved even more during these few days so I was even more hopeful for the future.

I can Honestly say that now two years on from when I tried the program my acne is still completely gone and hasn’t return since. It took about a month from when I finished the three day course for my acne to completely disappear but every day it faded a bit more. Just make sure to follow his advice after the program very carefully and you won’t have any problems.

Pros and Cons

The book comes straight to the point and gives down to earth instructions without having to pick out all the instructions from a huge boring wall of text. The only downside is that if you are interested in detailed explanations of exactly how this works this book doesn’t cover as much of that as some might want, although the information given is priceless. The cure can be used over and over and as it is 100% natural it won’t harm your body in any way. Although it did work on the first time with me and my friend so therefore it is very unlikely you will have to do the course again, unless you have extremely severe acne.

I would definately recommend acnefreein3days as not only is it a bargain that you won’t regret buying, the information is priceless and you will keep it for the rest of your life, should you ever need to repeat the course. My quality of life has improved so much ever since I bought the book, thank you so much Chris Gibson.

I would love to give away more information on exactly how it works but I don’t want to get in any legal trouble!

More Information and Tips on how to stay Breakout-Free

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Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of adult cancer death, accounting for an estimated 42,470 new cases and 35,240 deaths in USA for 2009. The high mortality rate is due to the high incidence of metastatic disease at initial diagnosis, the aggressive clinical course and the failure of current therapies.

Causes

It is not clear what causes pancreatic cancer, but some risk factors have been linked to the disease. Modifiable risk factors that have been associated with pancreatic cancer include:

* Smoking: Smokers have 2 to 3 times higher risk of getting pancreatic cancers.. About 2 to 3 out of 10 cases of pancreatic cancer are thought to be caused by smoking.
* Obesity and lack of exercise: Overweight people and those who don’t get much exercise are more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.
* Diabetes: Patients with type 2 diabetes have an increase risk of getting pancreatic cancer.
* Chronic pancreatitis: Some patients with chronic pancreatitis develop pancreatic cancer
* Cirrhosis of the liver: People with cirrhosis due to hepatitis and alcohol consumption seem to have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
* Work exposure: Heavy exposure to certain pesticides, dyes, and chemicals may increase the risk of getting pancreatic cancer.
* Stomach problems: Having too much stomach acid or having bacteria called H. pylori in the stomach may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Prevention

At this moment, there is no way to prevent pancreatic cancer. Similar to the prevention of other cancer, stop smoking, having a healthy diet and exercise are important in keeping pancreatic cancer at bay.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer

It is very difficult to find pancreatic cancer early in the course of the disease since the pancreas lies deep inside the body and it is not easy to fell the tumors during a routine physical exam. Currently, there are no blood tests or other tests that can find the pancreatic cancer early in patients without symptoms.

When a person has symptoms, the cancer is usually large and has spread to other organs. Thus, patients with pancreatic cancer usually have a poor outlook.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer include jaundice, abdomen pain (belly area), pain in the middle of the back, weight loss, pale and greasy stools, swollen gallbladder, blood clots and increase in blood sugar level.

Physical exam

To confirm whether the tumor is cancerous, the physician will need to do a biopsy to confirm the cell types.

The physician might also examine your lymph nodes and conduct imaging tests such as CT, MRI, PET, endoscopic ultrasound, ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) to see whether the tumor has spread to lymph nodes or distant organs.

Prognosis

Only 20% of the patients presenting with pancreatic cancer will the tumor be operable. The median disease-free survival following complete resection of pancreatic cancer and adjuvant administration of gemcitabine is 13.4 months versus 6.9 months for untreated patients. The longer disease-free survival after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, unfortunately, has not translated into any advantage in overall survival.

For the other patients who had locally advanced (40%) or metastatic (40%) disease at diagnosis, the median survival is 8-12 months and 3-6 months respectively.

Treatment

Surgery

Pancreatic cancer surgery is one of the hardest operations for surgeon and patients. Surgery results in complications and may take many weeks for patients to recover.

There are 2 types of surgery used for pancreatic cancer:

* Curative surgery when it looks like it is possible to remove all the cancer.
* Palliative surgery may be done if tests show that the tumor is too widespread to be completely removed. In this case, surgery is done to relieve symptoms or to prevent the blockage of the bile ducts or the intestine by the cancer.

Studies have shown that palliative surgery does not help most patients to live longer.

Curative Surgery

If the cancer is contained within the pancreas, the surgeon might conduct a Whipple procedure. In this surgery, the surgeon remove parts of the pancreas, parts of the stomach and small intestine, the gallbladder, part of the common bile duct, and some nearby lymph nodes. It is a very complex operation that carries high risk of complications and might be fatal. It is usually done by experienced surgeons who have done this many times.

For patients who have surgery, the 5-year survival rate is only 20%. It is because a small number of cancer cells may already have spread to other parts of the body. Only a small number of pancreatic cancer patients (about 10%) has their cancer contains within the pancreas.

Palliative surgery

When the surgeon discovers that the tumor has spread and it is impossible to cure the patients, the surgeon may continue the operation as a palliative procedure to relieve the symptoms. For example, the surgeon may relieve blockage of the bile duct to relieve the pain and the problems with digestion.

There are 2 options to relieve a bile duct blockage. One is to re-route the flow of bile from the common bile duct into the small intestine. This requires a large incision and it may take weeks for the patient to recover. An advantage is that during the surgery, the doctor may be able to cut the nerves leading to the pancreas and will reduce the pain for the patient.

The second and the most popular way to treat bile duct blockage is to use metal tubes called stents to keep the bile duct open. The doctor puts the stents in through an endoscope. Bigger stents are also used to keep the small intestine open, too.

Pharmacotherapy

First-line therapy

Gemcitabine (Gem)- Gemzar

Gemcitabine is the gold standard chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer since its approval in 1996. The approval was based a phase III trial which involves 126 patients randomized either to gemcitabine or weekly injection of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

* Clinical response was experienced in 23.8% of gemcitabine-treated patients compared with 4.8% of 5-Fu-treated patients (p=0.004)
* The median overall survival durations were 5.65 and 4.41 months for gemcitabine-treated and 5-FU-treated patients (p=0.003)
* The 1 year survival rate was 18% and 2% for the gemcitabine and the 5-FU group, respectively (p=0.0009)

Gemcitabine + Oxaliplatin (GemOx) – Gemzar and Eloxatin

For patients who like extend the time without disease progression and are willing to tolerate the adverse effects of chemotherapy may consider the GemOx regimen. GemOx was evaluated in 313 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Patients were randomly assigned to either GemOx or gemcitabine.

At the end of the study, GemOx was superior to gemcitabine in

* Response rate (26.8% vs 17.3% for GemOx and Gem, respectively; p=0.04)
* Progression-free survival (5.8 vs 3.7 months for GemOx and Gem, respectively; p=0.04)
* Clinical benefit (5.8 vs. 3.7 months for GemOx and Gem, respectively; p=0.04)

However, there was no difference in median overall survival (9.0 and 7.1 months for GemOx and Gem, respectively; P=0.13)

Also, patients who were assigned to the GemOx arm had a higher incidence of grade 3 and 4 toxicity in platelets (14.0% for GemOx vs 3.2% for Gem), vomiting (8.9% for GemOx vs 3.2% for Gem) and neurosensory symptoms (19.1% for GemOx vs. 0% for Gem).

Gemcitabine + Capecitabine (GemCap) – Gemzar and Xeloda

GemCap is another alternative to gemcitabine for pancreatic cancer. However, results of two phase III trials showed conflicting results.

The first trial randomized 319 patients to receive either GemCap or Gem.

* There was no difference in median overall survival time between the two arms (8.4 and 7.2 months in the Gem Cap and Gem arms respectively; p=0.234).
* Frequency of grade 3 or 4 adverse events, including neutropenia, was similar in both arms.
* Post hoc analysis reviewed that patients in the GemCap arm with good Karnofsky performance status experienced a significant prolongation of median overall survival time when compared with the Gem arm (10.1 vs 7.4 months, respectively; P=0.014)

Another phase III trial randomized 533 patients to receive gemcitabine plus capecitabine or gemictabine. The trial demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall survival time in the GemCap arm (7.4 months vs 6 months, p =0.0014). The result might be attributed to the prolonged administration of capecitabine.

Erlotinib + Gemcitabine – Tarceva + Gemzar

Beside chemotherapy, targeted therapy plus chemotherapy has also been shown to improved survival. Erlotinib, a targeted therapy, has been approved as treatment for locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer patients.

In a randomized, double-blind, phase III trial, 569 patients were randomly assigned to receive gemcitabine plus erlotinib or gemcitabine plus placebo.

* Overall median survival was significantly prolonged by 2 weeks in the erlotinbi/gemcitabine arm (6.2 months vs. 6.0 months, p=0.028).
* One-year survival was also greater with erlotinib plus gemcitabine arm (24% vs. 19%; p =0.023).
* Progression-free survival was significantly longer with erlotinib plus gemcitabine (3.75 months vs. 3.55 months, p = 0.004).
* Of the 282 patients who received erlotinib, 79 had no rash, 102 had grade 1 rash, and 101 had a grade 2 or higher skin rash.
* The occurrence of skin rash was associated with a significant and clinically meaningful difference in survival. The median survival rates for patients with grade 0, 1, and 2 rash were 5.3, 5.8, and 10.5 months and the 1-year survival rate were 19%, 9% and 43%, respectively (p=0.001).

Bevacizumab + Erlotinib + Gemcitabine – Avastin + Tarceva + Gemzar

Another target regimen that has been tested is the bevacizumab plus erlotinib and gemcitabine. This regimen, however, have only been shown to improve progression-free survival (4.6 months vs. 3.6 months, p = 0.0002), but not overall survival (7.1 months vs. 6 months, p =0.2) when compared with erlotinib plus gemcitabine.

Second-line therapy

Oxaliplatin plus 5-FU and folinic acid (OFF regimen)

Patients who failed first line gemcitabine can use the OFF regiment to control their disease. The CONKO 003 trial have shown that metastatic pancreatic patients whose disease had progressed from the first-line gemcitabine treatment, had significant survival benefit with the OFF regimen than the FF regimen (5-FU plus folinic acid).

The progression-free survival was significantly different (p=0.012) and the median survival time from initiation of second-line therapy was 20 weeks for the OFF vs 13 weeks for the FF arms (p=0.014).

Conclusions

Pancreatic cancer remains a major challenge to the medical field. Only 10% of the pancreatic cancer patients have their cancer contained with the pancreas. This group of patients might be cured by surgery. The rest might need chemotherapy and targeted therapy to extend their survival.

Gemcitabine is the standard 1st line therapy for pancreatic cancer. Patients with good performance status can also consider oxaliplatin + capecitabine to achieve prolonged survival.

For patients who fail the first line treatment, oxaliplatin-5FU-folinic acid should be used to improve survival.

In the adjuvant setting, current studies have supported the role of gemcitabine, either as monotherapy or in combination with chemoradiotherapy with 5-FU.

Please visit us at healthreason.com for more health related articles.
Wilson Ngai

Wilson is a registered pharmacist with a bachelor and master degree in Pharmacy. He has published 5 reviewed articles and has strong medical knowledge in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

In the past 15 years, he has worked in medical, licensing and product development department at major pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Novartis.

He was also the recipient of the Merck Frosst Award in Nuclear Medicine, Mitchell Scholarship in Cancer Research and Pharmacy Alumni Graduate Studies Award.

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You have gone to the doctor’s and you have tried all sorts of medications but nothing seems to work for you. You are in so much pain and it is time that you actually found a treatment that worked for you.

The good news is that there is help. The better news is that it can start to help today. The best news, is that you can treat gout at home. This might sound impossible to you, but it is very much true. You are going to learn some remarkable tips today so you can ease your pain and allow your life to return back to the way it once was, before you were plagued with this pain.

There is something that you can do every morning to make a huge difference in your gout and that is to drink a delicious glass of orange juice. The reason that you have gout is because the acidity in your blood is unbalanced. It is skyrocketing and it is causing these painful bumps to occur. You need to neutralize it with a healthy acid and not only that, but one that increases your immune system. Drinking one glass of orange juice everyday is going to be magical to your body. You will feel a big difference almost immediately.

Another remedy to treat gout at home is with heat. This is the most inexpensive and best treatment that you can find. All you have to do is apply a warm compress to the source of your pain. The reason that heat works is because soothes the pain. You will feel an escape from the pain in no time at all. More importantly, if you combine heat with drinking orange juice, you will notice an even bigger difference. The vitamin C helps your immune system to create more white blood cells. These fight off infections and help to heal your body. When you apply heat, you are promoting circulation to the area and if you combine them, that means fresh and brand new white blood cells are hitting the area and helping to get rid of your gout.

You won’t have to worry about the pain any longer if you use these tips to treat gout at home.

There are many factors that contribute to this uncomfortable condition. For more helpful tips on how to deal with gout, including a natural way to rid yourself of the pain and tenderness forever, visit this helpful site!

Although it is painful and frustrating to live with gout, there are ways you can treat the condition at home. You can be pain free just by using a simple home remedy. Gout doesn’t have to be a part of your life.

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