Category: Insight

Cancer Nation, formerly the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, says you are a cancer survivor from your day of diagnosis through the rest of your life. Not everyone identifies personally with the term “survivor,” but the concept of survivorship is far-ranging and inclusive.

Basal cell carcinoma accounts for about 80 percent of skin cancers. It usually develops on the head and neck but can occur anywhere on the skin. Its main cause is sun exposure. It also develops in people who received radiation therapy as children. It rarely spreads to other parts of the body.

Smoking (including secondhand smoke and smokeless tobacco, sometimes called “chewing tobacco” or “snuff”) is the largest risk factor for getting head and neck cancer.
And people who use both tobacco and alcohol are many times more likely to get head and neck cancer than people with neither habit. Research has also shown that continued smoking by a patient with head and neck cancer may reduce the effectiveness of treatment and increase the chance of a second primary cancer.

Wendy Hall and Amy Roberts have served our community as onsite Licensed Clinical Social Workers ever since joining RBOI in 2011. Wendy joined RBOI following 22 years at Hospice as a palliative care social worker. Becoming a certified oncology social worker was the natural next step. Her knowledge of support networks lets her match people in need to services. “People talk to others about their circumstances. They may say, ‘I’m not able to work now because I’m in cancer treatment.’ And somebody knows about us and will make contact.”
Hall also teaches smoking cessation classes, tackling a major, preventable cause of cancer. To learn more and to register, call her at 352-527-0106.

Like Wendy, Amy Roberts counsels cancer patients and their families and caregivers, helping them navigate insurance and health systems and advocating on their behalf. She also
teaches stress reduction techniques. Roberts offers free Friday Virtual Meditations, 10–10:30 AM, for anyone affected by cancer who lives in Citrus, Lake, Marion, and Sumter Counties.
She conducts Tuesday Meditations from 12 noon–1 PM, at One Health Center in Ocala, for anyone who is treated at RBOI or is 55 or older. To learn more and to register, call her at 352-732-
0277. You can also access meditation videos at any time on RBOI’s guided meditation page, RBOI.com, under the “Cancer Support” tab

hrough early detection, screening can make cancers easier to treat and help reduce cancer deaths. Cancer screening is done when you have no symptoms. Symptoms mean that
cancer may have grown, spread, and be harder to treat.
Cancer screening includes:
• Physical exam and history. A physical exam can check for lumps or anything that seems unusual. A history of your health habits, past illnesses, and treatments can also gauge your risk.

• Laboratory tests. Procedures can include taking samples of tissue, blood, urine, or other bodily substances.

• Imaging procedures. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and other machines scan areas inside the body for anything
unusual.

• Genetic tests. Cells or tissue are analyzed to look for changes in genes or chromosomes, which may indicate a specific disease or risk.