Battling Cancer

The cancer journey can seem very lonely, but there are others on the road and those who have gone before you who are ready to reach out a hand.

Today Battling Cancer features some unique organizations you may not have heard about whose goal is support and care. Check them out.

Also be sure to take a look back at the Battling Cancer archives for profiles of other organizations and stop by our links for additional resources.

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The pancreas is considered a glandular organ. It is about 7 inches by 1.5 inches in size. It lies under the stomach and at the beginning of the small intestine, and functions as an exocrine organ by producing fluids for digesting food. It functions as an endocrine organ as it releases hormones. When released into the blood stream, these hormones regulate our glucose levels (insulin and glucagon).

Pancreatic cancer is a cancerous tumor that occurs in the tissues of this gland/organ.

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Hodgkin’s Disease (HD) or Hodgkin Lymphoma is a type of lymphoma, not to be confused with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Lymphoma is a cancer that begins at the cellular level of the immune system. For more information on lymphoma in general see the excellent article in our archives.

Hodgkin’s Disease is identified by the presence of the Reed-Sternberg cell.

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What should you know about asbestos?

The risk of getting an asbestos related disease correlates to the dose and duration of exposure. Those working in a job with exposure naturally are at greater risk; however particles on clothing brought home puts others at risk. Risk also exists for exposure due to damaged materials in buildings that utilized asbestos.

Asbestos fibers remain trapped in your lungs for life. The more you inhale the greater your risk of getting an asbestos related disease. The risk never disappears. Other factors such as cigarette smoking, and personal genetics will determine ‘if’ and ‘when’ symptoms will appear. The shortest latency period from exposure to asbestos to appearance of disease is 5 to 10 years, but could be as long as 40 years. There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos.

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