Websites

Websites to research...

Cancer Treatment Centers of America- No esophageal cancer patient is the same. Get a personalized treatment plan. https://www.cancercenter.com/esophageal-cancer/

American Society of Clinical Oncology- Understanding Immunotherapy: https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/immunotherapy-and-vaccines/understanding-immunotherapy

College of American Pathologists- Cancer Protocols and Electronic Cancer Checklists: http://www.cap.org/web/oracle/webcenter/portalapp/pagehierarchy/cancer_protocol_templates.jspx

Bone Scan Technique: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2109077-technique#showall

Esophageal cancer: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/esophagus-cancer.html

https://www.cancer.gov/types/esophageal

https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/esophageal-cancer/symptoms-and-signs

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/277930-overview

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esophageal_cancer

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/esophageal-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20356084

https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/esophageal-cancer#1

http://www.cancernetwork.com/cancer-management/esophageal-cancer

Treating Esophageal Cancer by Stage: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/esophagus-cancer/treating/by-stage.html Most of the time, the initial treatment of esophagus cancer is based on its stage – how far it has spread. But other factors, such as a person’s overall health, can also affect treatment options.

OncoLink: https://www.oncolink.org/ OncoLink’s content ranges from treatment and disease information for a newly diagnosed patient, support through the side effects of treatment, and into survivorship. It provides tools and educational materials to support the practice of busy practitioners, including on treatment education, psychosocial support and survivorship care plans. Their primary goal is to support patients, caregivers and practitioners through education. This can empower patients to make educated treatment decisions, be active participants in their care, and be their own advocate. They also have an excellent section on what to expect from the drugs you might go on.

Cancer Horizons https://www.cancerhorizons.com/ Patient resources. Specific local regional help section of Cancer Horizons https://www.cancerhorizons.com/local-cancer-resources/

Smart Patients Esophageal Cancer Community https://www.smartpatients.com/communities/esophageal-cancer Smart Patients is an online community for patients and families affected by a variety of illnesses. Here you can learn at your own level about scientific developments related to your condition, share your questions and concerns with other members, and use what you learn in the context of your own life.

Cathy's EC Café - a forum devoted to esophageal cancer http://www.ec-cafe.org/

General cancer information - Your chemotherapy plan: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/chemotherapy/planning/your-chemotherapy-plan Cancer Research UK

Cryosurgery in Cancer Treatment https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/surgery/cryosurgery-fact-sheet Cryosurgery (also called cryotherapy) is the use of extreme cold produced by liquid nitrogen (or argon gas) to destroy abnormal tissue.

Cancer Fighters Thrive® http://www.cancerfightersthrive.com/

Miami Cancer Resources https://www.cancerhorizons.com/cancer-resources/florida/miami/

Esophageal Cancer Treatment at clinics and hospitals worldwide https://www.medigo.com/en-us/oncology/esophageal-cancer-treatment

Clinical Trials

Phases of Clinical Trials

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/clinical-trials/what-are-trials/phases

Should You Participate?

Smart Phone Applications

Medscape App https://www.medscape.com/public/medscapeapp To better understand what your doctors are telling you. Point-of-care decision making. Find vital information for patient care. Consult a continually updated clinical reference database with our evidence-based Disease & Condition reference tool. Quickly look up medications and dosages. Our Drug Reference tool allows you to look-up the most current prescribing and safety information. Visually identify drugs, OTCs, and supplements. Pinpoint pills by imprint, color, shape, form, or scoring with our Pill Identifier tool. Other useful tools within the app: Drug Interaction checker, medical calculators, procedure reference, and formulary information.

Ask The Nutritionist: Recipes for Fighting Cancer Apple iPhone and Android App http://www.dana-farber.org/for-patients-and-families/care-and-treatment/support-services-and-amenities/nutrition-services/ask-the-nutritionist-app/ Dana-Farber Cancer Institute created the app to help you find recipes for staying healthy, getting you through treatment, and living and eating healthy for the rest of your life. The app was developed by our staff of registered and board-certified dietitians and designed to help find the optimal diet for any type of cancer. It also offers users the ability to search by common symptoms (such as nausea or mouth sores), helping to customize dietary needs while going through treatment. There are also recipes and healthy eating tips for cancer survivors or anyone who would like to create healthy food choices.

Complementary Therapies and Integrative Medicine

  1. Conventional medicine is the "traditional" medicine as practiced by a medical doctor (M.D.), a doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) and other allied health professionals.
  2. Alternative medicine is used in place of, or instead of, conventional medicine. Many alternative therapies and drugs do not have scientific evidence to back up their claims of effectiveness. Some have no therapeutic benefits at all or can even be dangerous.
  3. Complementary medicine is a group of mostly non-medical approaches to help patients cope with cancer and treatment side effects, pain, depression and anxiety. Research data has verified the benefits of many complementary therapies, including acupuncture, yoga, massage, stress reduction techniques and nutritional supplements.
  4. Integrative medicine is the practice of combining scientifically proven complementary therapies with conventional medicine as part of a comprehensive plan to treat both the disease and its physical and emotional side effects.


Food Websites

Metastasis

  • Understanding Advanced Cancer, Metastatic Cancer, and Bone Metastasis: https://www.cancer.org/treatment/understanding-your-diagnosis/advanced-cancer/what-is.html Some cancers start in the bone, rather than spreading to the bones from somewhere else. Cancers that start in the bone are called primary bone cancers. These cancers are very different from bone metastases. Bone metastasis is much more common than primary bone cancers, especially in adults.
  • Bone Metastasis: https://www.rogelcancercenter.org/bone-metastasis
  • All About Bone Metastases https://www.oncolink.org/cancers/bone/bone-metastases/all-about-bone-metastases Bone metastases, also called "bone mets," occur when cancer cells break off from a primary tumor that is somewhere else in the body. These cells travel through the blood stream or lymph system to a part of the bone and become metastatic cancer cells. This is different than a primary bone tumor, which starts in the bone. When these cancer cells deposit themselves into bone, they release substances that turn on either osteoclasts or osteoblasts. Osteoclasts lead to breakdown of bone without new bone being made, which weakens the bones. Osteoblasts being turned on leads to new bone being made without the breakdown of old bone first, which makes the bones become abnormally hard.
  • The immune system in cancer metastasis: friend or foe? https://jitc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40425-017-0283-9 Metastatic disease is the leading cause of death among cancer patients and involves a complex and inefficient process. Every step of the metastatic process can be rate limiting and is influenced by non-malignant host cells interacting with the tumor cell. Over a century ago, experiments first indicated a link between the immune system and metastasis. This phenomenon, called concomitant immunity, indicates that the primary tumor induces an immune response, which may not be sufficient to destroy the primary tumor, but prevents the growth of a secondary tumor or metastases. Since that time, many different immune cells have been shown to play a role in both inhibiting and promoting metastatic disease. Here we review classic and new observations, describing the links between the immune system and metastasis that inform the development of cancer therapies.
  • Cancer’s Invasion Equation: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/09/11/cancers-invasion-equation We can detect tumors earlier than ever before. Can we predict whether they’re going to be dangerous?
  • Zometa for Patients With Bone Metastases https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/462348 Bone health: It can treat high blood calcium levels. In addition it can treat bone damage caused by Paget's disease, multiple myeloma, and cancers that spread to the bone. It can also treat osteoporosis and reduce the risk of hip fractures in certain patients.
  • Esophageal Cancer Metastases to Unexpected Sites: A Systematic Review https://www.hindawi.com/journals/grp/2017/1657310/ The most common pattern of esophageal cancer metastases (ECM) is to the lymph nodes, lung, liver, bones, adrenal glands, and brain. On the other hand, unexpected metastasis (UM) spread to uncommon sites has increasingly reported and consequently affected the pathway of diagnosis, staging, and management. Using the PubMed database, a systematic search of the following headings “Esophageal” and “Metastasis” or “Metastases” was performed, 10049 articles were identified, and the articles were included if they demonstrated unexpected ECM. 84% of cases were men with an average age of 60.7 years. EC was located in the lower third in 65%. Two-thirds of the UM originated from the lower esophagus, and the two major histological types were adenocarcinoma 40% and squamous cell carcinoma 60%. Metastases were disseminated toward five main anatomical sites: the head and neck (42%), thoracic (17%), abdomen and pelvis (25%), extremities (9%), and multiple skin and muscle metastases (7%). The EC metastases were found to be synchronous 42% and metachronous 58%, isolated in 53.5% and multiple in 46.5%. The overall survival rate was 10.2 months. Since distant metastases are responsible for most EC-related deaths, understanding of ECM dissemination patterns needs more extensive studies. These critical data are the cornerstone of optimal cancer approach and treatment.
  • Treating Bone Metastases https://www.cancer.org/treatment/understanding-your-diagnosis/advanced-cancer/treating-bone-metastases.html Treatments can often shrink or slow the growth of bone metastases and can help with any symptoms they cause. But they usually do not make the metastases go away completely. Some people believe that nothing more can be done if the cancer can’t be cured, so they stop all treatment. But radiation, chemotherapy (and other drugs), surgery, and other treatments can often slow cancer growth and help control symptoms. And relieving symptoms like pain and constipation can help you feel better. Something can almost always be done to help maintain or improve your quality of life.

Side Effects & Symptoms

Related to Specific Drugs

Peripheral Neuropathy (Nerve Damage)

Bad Taste

Oral Mucositis

  • Magic Mouthwash Really Works, Says Phase 3 Trial https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/869314 Lidocaine-Based Rinse for Oral Mucositis
  • Magic Mouthwash http://www.aannet.org/initiatives/choosing-wisely/choosing-wisely---magic-mouthwash Magic mouthwash is typically compounded by a pharmacy and most often contains anticholinergic agents such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl); an anesthetic, such as viscous lidocaine; and an antacid or mucosal coating agent, such as magnesium or aluminum hydroxide, kaolin, or sucralfate. In some cases the mixture may also contain an antibiotic and/or an antifungal medication such as nystatin, and a corticosteroid. The most common ingredients are diphenhydramine, viscous lidocaine, antacid, nystatin, and corticosteroids.

Nail Changes

  • Nail Changes During Treatment With Taxane-based Chemotherapy: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/nail-changes-during-treatment-taxanes This information describes nail changes that you may have while taking taxane-based chemotherapy and how to manage these changes. Your fingernails and toenails may change if you’re taking a type of chemotherapy medication known as taxanes. There are a few kinds of taxane chemotherapy medications.
  • Diagnosing And Treating Chemotherapy-Induced Nail Changes https://www.podiatrytoday.com/diagnosing-and-treating-chemotherapy-induced-nail-changes Patients on chemotherapy can often experience changes in the toenails and although some of these changes may be tolerable, others are more serious and require treatment. Accordingly, this author reveals how one can recognize common nail changes such as Beau’s lines and subungual abscesses, and provides a pertinent guide to prevention and treatment.

Thrombocytopenia

Fatigue

Costs of Cancer

Additional articles

Myths

Don’t believe the hype – 10 persistent cancer myths debunked https://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2014/03/24/dont-believe-the-hype-10-persistent-cancer-myths-debunked/#sweet-tooth

It's a myth that sugar feeds cancer