Life Over Cancer Blog

Survival Statistics: Can Your Physician Really Predict How Long You Have to Live?

One of the most common sources of distress after a diagnosis of cancer is being told that you have a “X” number of months or years to live.  This is often presented in the form of a risk-based percentage, such as “a 30% chance of surviving one year.”  For anyone on the receiving end of such a dire prediction, such statements can seem tantamount to a death sentence, often resulting in profound grief and depression.  In fact, some patients simply stop fighting and caring for themselves.  Instead of finding ways to live, they focus on preparing to die.

The Block Center has moved!

March has been a very busy month for Life Over Cancer and The Block Center.

We've moved and are settling into our new space:

5230 Old Orchard Road
Skokie, IL 60077

We sincerely apologize for the long silence between blog postings and appreciate your patience.  We plan to get back on a consistent blogging schedule very soon.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month: 10 Things You Need to Know

According to the Colon Cancer Alliance (www.ccalliance.org), colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the US.  In fact, over 75% of colon cancer patients seem to have no inherited risk.  However, research suggests there are diet and lifestyle changes that can help reduce your risk of developing colon cancer.  These include:

Hey, Soy – Let’s Be Breast Friends Again!

Written by Jacki Glew, MS, RD, LDN - Clinical Nutrition Manager for the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment

Soy.  That little three-letter word that strikes fear into the stomachs of so many.  Why are we so afraid of soy?  Well, I bet you’re asking...

Why “we got it all” - or, “you’re in remission" - should not mean the end of treatment

Written by Dr. Keith I. Block, MD

“We got it all.” Words every cancer patient loves to hear.  And it is indeed news worth celebrating.  However, you shouldn’t be fooled into thinking this favorable pronouncement means treatment is over and you can go back to life as it was before cancer.  Consider this:  What is the “it” that they got all of?  “It” is the tumor and any detectable cancer cells.  What they didn’t “get” is the biochemical and molecular environment within your body that made the cancer possible and helped fuel its growth.  A tumor is merely the most visible manifestation of an underlying, systemic disruption of the body’s processes.  In other words, the macroscopic evidence – the tumor – is the most obvious indication of the illness.  As important as it is to address the tumor, it is not by any means enough.