cancer

Cancer warning signs that women can’t afford to ignore

Published on: December 4, 2016 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

Because women’s bodies are constantly changing throughout their lives, it can be difficult to discern normal changes from symptoms of potentially serious problems. In this post, we’re sharing five common cancer symptoms that are dangerous for women to overlook.

Many women look out for the well-being of multiple people – including children, partners, friends and relatives. However, it is essential that you prioritize your own health, too – for yourself and for the people you love.

Breast changes – It is always wise to have your doctor look at any lumps, skin dimpling, changes in your nipples or red skin on your breasts.
Bloating – Bloating is very common in women and often harmless. However, if it persists for more than a week or two, or comes with weight loss or bleeding, it may be a sign of ovarian cancer.
Bleeding in between periods – If you still get a period, report any spotting in between cycles to your doctor. If you are bleeding after menopause, it is essential to get checked out right away.
Skin changes – Do not delay if you have a mole that changes shape, color or size. It is a common sign of quickly-advancing skin cancer.
Blood in the stool or urine – Any unusual bleeding should be reported to a doctor, especially blood in your stool or urine that lasts more than a couple of days.

AI assistants may help doctors diagnose breast cancer

Published on: September 24, 2016 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

How new AI technology could save cancer patients

Doctors go through extensive training to learn to diagnose critical conditions such as cancer. But even the smartest, most diligent physicians make mistakes sometimes. According to the healthcare journal BMJ Quality and Safety, breast cancer is misdiagnosed up to 28 percent of the time. Some of these errors occur when physicians are reviewing breast biopsy samples. In the best conditions, pathologists can accurately identify breast cancer in these samples with 96 percent accuracy.

96 percent is pretty good, right? Objectively, yes, but we don’t think it’s good enough for the other four percent. That’s why we’re intrigued about a new technological development that could raise that number even high. Read on to learn more.

Paging Dr. Robot…

Researchers from Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) recently published a study about an artificial intelligence system trained to detect breast cancer. By “showing” the system hundreds of cancerous and noncancerous lymph node biopsies, they were able to teach it how to accurately detect cancer 92 percent of the time.

Why are so many cancer patients misdiagnosed?

Published on: July 18, 2016 | By Jeff DeFrancisco

Five critical errors that can lead to misdiagnosis

When your body is fighting cancer, a prompt and accurate diagnosis can literally be a matter of life and death. So why do doctors keep getting it wrong?

According to the New York Times, doctors and pathologists misdiagnose up to 28 percent of patients — an alarmingly high number when you consider the damage that an inaccurate diagnosis can cause.