Treatment Choices

Brachytherapy is sometimes a preferred method of treatment, depending on your physician’s advice, because of its precision. Rather than using a machine such as a linear accelerator outside of the body to direct radiation through healthy tissue to get to the cancerous cells, brachytherapy radiation is implanted inside the body either temporarily or permanently, depending on the type and location of the cancer.

When a woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer, many questions arise. Why me? Can it be treated? Will I be cured? There are a number of myths or misconceptions about treating cervical cancer and understanding the facts is an important first step in making treatment choices.

There has been a lot of confusion since the study was published in September, 2015 examining mortality after a DCIS diagnosis. Specifically, the study looked at differences in outcome among women who were treated for DCIS by different methods. The differences among these women did not provide evidence that no treatment is an option.

You've learned you have an abnormal test results -- and are overwhelmed with questions. What does it mean? What happens next? One thing to keep in mind is the majority of abnormal results do not mean you have cancer. We outline some of the other causes of abnormal results, and what you can expect to happen next.

Lobular Carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are abnormalities that doctors call "stage zero" breast cancer. Women with either of these diagnoses often ask us, "Do I have breast cancer?"

Whether it was discovered during a breast self-exam or incidentally as you were putting on your deodorant, finding a breast lump can be terrifying. Somehow it seems human nature for us to think the worst when we find a mass or lump anywhere there should not be one.

As more people survive cancer, primary care physicians and oncologists must work together to manage patient care. That’s because once cancer treatment ends, patients eventually transition back to their primary care physician.

When Martha Driskel learned she had esophageal cancer and needed a surgical procedure called an esophagectomy, she wanted to heal as quickly as possible. Thanks to the new Michigan Surgical and Health Optimization Program, her recovery went better than expected.

Todd Morgan, M.D. of the U-M Multidisciplinary Urologic Oncology Clinic answers questions about prostate cancer biomarkers and explains how they help in prostate cancer treatment.

The first step in treating skin cancer is proper diagnosis. This requires your doctor to remove a small tissue sample (a biopsy) from the suspected site. When done at the University of Michigan, a specially trained dermatopathologist examines the biopsy to determine if cancer is present and if so what type.