When you are diagnosed with cancer, one of the first few tests you will likely have is a PET Scan or Positron Emission Tomography scan. It is a nuclear medicine functional imaging technique that is used to observe metabolic processes in the body. 

These scans produce a color image that highlight where cancer may be located in the body, making it much easier for Doctors to know where to treat, how much to treat and to stage your cancer. In the two photos above, you can see the...

For all of us cancer patients, we have certain things that immediately send us back to a spot in treatments, or sitting in the exam room when you got the news about having cancer. There are other things like songs that will spark a memory and give you a flashback to sitting in the chemo chair or you might go back to being half naked sitting on the side of a bed, wearing nothing but a paper gown, in the holding area getting ready to go back to surgery.

But what about a word? After...

Our Blog Post today is from Robyn Stoller, the founder of CancerHawk and also was a caregiver for her Husband Alan who had been diagnosed with kidney cancer, followed by pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Robyn is a tireless advocate for cancer patients everywhere. Her article today touches on the issues with fertility when dealing with cancer and treatments. 

Chemotherapy and radiation can harm your fertility or cause sterility. For women, certain...

The Holiday Season is in full swing and most of us are thinking of things to give your friends and loved ones. Some of us are even making last minute changes to our wish lists. And then some of us cancer survivors and caregivers have an urge to do more, to give back in some way. After going through a life-altering event like cancer, many of us feel a need to help others, in whatever way we can. 

So how can you give back? Here are 5 easy ways to give back during this season of...

This Holiday Season most cancer patients want to show a little gratitude to their Nurses and Doctors. If you're having a little trouble coming up with ways that you might do that, here are some ideas from the members of the WhatNext Community. This is how you can have an attitude of gratitude to thank your Nurses and Doctors. 

We hear from Nurses all the time about working long, busy and stressful shifts. They are our caregivers and our lifeline. Most of the time they are the first...

Chemo can last 8 hours or more, waiting for hours in the waiting room and exam room for your doctor will add up to days by the end of your cancer journey. These little periods of time can be used to help you through the whole cancer thing by reading some great inspirational, motivational or educational books. You will have lots of time on your hands through this, so why not make good use of it? Here are some great books to help you through treatments. Our WhatNext Community suggested these:

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This weeks Wednesday's WhatNexter Of The Week is Tracy. She is a long time Thyroid Cancer survivor of 37 years. Here is a little about her journey through Thyroid cancer, starting as a 14 year old.

I was a teenager in the mid 70’s when diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer after being sick for several years. Luckily I lived in Seattle at this time so I was sent to Virginia Mason Clinic which was the major west coast cancer treatment center at this time.

This clinic was so busy that you had to be...

Last year, this very weekend, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It seems so long ago because so much happened when I heard the words, “You have cancer.” to now a year later. As we all know, there are decisions and surgeries and treatment and within all of that is a loss of self.

Lisa and her family

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I thought I knew who I was. I thought I was an uber-focused MOM (caps and emphasis, mine). I thought I was meant to be a local teacher so I could still do my number one which was to...

Those of us that have had the displeasure to sit in "the chair" for any length of time know how it can be a long sit, or at least seem like it's taking forever. Some patients report taking 8 hours or more to receive all of their pre-meds, fluids and actual chemo. In other cases, some patients have a slow drip for 24 hours. You're going to need something to keep your mind occupied. Here are some suggestions from patients that have come before you to keep occupied while having chemo.

There are...

Beth Caldwell's death on Nov. 2 stunned and saddened the breast cancer and especially the metastatic breast cancer community, even though she had warned us. "I know a lot of you were hoping there’d be some miracle out of this PET, and this is not easy news to take in," Beth had written in her blog, "The Cult of Perfect Motherhood".

"Watching your friends die is AWFUL. I’ve watched so many friends die, and it’s never been remotely OK. And now, y’all have to watch me die. But, that’s life. It’...