It's no secret that the need to tighten our belts during the recent economic downturn has sent us into an era of cost containment. But we must find ways to both contain health care costs and continue to move cancer knowledge forward.

A new drug called T-DM1 appears to be relatively effective and safe for women with metastatic, Her2+ breast cancer, in itself and as compared to the standard XL regimen.

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, they are so deluged with information about their health and how to treat the disease so that managing their Medicare or Medicaid coverage gets overlooked.

Though medical breakthroughs may be in the offing, the Big C still packs a psycho/spiritual wallop for the newly initiated. Here are 10 ways to beat back the cancer blues and be your own best friend.

Cancer seems to be heading in a new direction. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control issued a report indicating that two-thirds of cancer cases may be preventable.

ASCO's admonition to avoid ineffective treatment is unlikely to constrain the use of chemotherapy in advanced cancer significantly, because although it's good advice, it's difficult to put into practice.

Like most people who go on the bizarre and frightening trip of cancer, I needed a way to find comfort and hope. After my third diagnosis, I was filled with despair, not knowing where to turn. With the help of my therapist, I decided to write a book.

Cancer shows up in a toxic body. So to clean up, nourish and encourage it to work properly still seems completely logical to me.

If it takes a village to raise a child, you might say it also takes one to care for the sick. Cancer is at once personal and communal. And yet, caring for the sick can feel like writing a travelogue about a country you've never visited. You can't know where you haven't been.

As any patient (and their loved ones as well) knows only too well, treatment for cancer is a long and winding road. It is also an emotional roller coaster. From the moment of initial diagnosis it injects a strong element of anxiety into patient and family alike.

My first brain surgery in 1998 and recovery was completely new to me. Since then, I have come to understand some essential health and healing components needed when dealing with cancer.

After breast cancer treatment, many women are prescribed aromatase inhibitors to prevent recurrence of estrogen sensitive tumors. These drugs can cause joint pain that leads many women to stop using them, thus increasing their risk of a recurrence.

Because of her success with Herceptin, one of the first so-called personalized medicines to be approved for use, Adriana was able to beat the odds. Really beat the odds.

I have had my fertility taken, but I am not less of a woman. I have been robbed repeatedly, but I am not damaged. I have been tested and challenged, but I am not defeated.

Even though I have the label "terminally ill," I know my chances and my time is what I make it. Medical knowledge has been doubling every ten years and maybe, just maybe, I'll be here when my cure comes.