John Bell is no stranger to skin cancer, having dealt with various forms of it for more than 30 years. A decade ago, the 70-year-old Manalapan resident noticed a red circle that was enlarging on his scalp. It proved to be melanoma that had spread to his lymph nodes—but [...]
When Alyce McKinley was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma in a prominent area on her nose, she was apprehensive about having it surgically removed. While this traditional approach, called Mohs surgery, is very effective, it would likely result in scarring that would require plastic surgery. “If the cancer was [...]
Muriel Smith of Freehold stopped getting yearly mammograms at 75. “Who needs them at this age?” she thought. Four years later, the offer of a $50 off spa gift certificate with any mammogram at the Star & Barry Tobias Women’s Health Center at CentraState piqued her interest, and [...]
By Troy Sukkarieh, MD It only takes a lump the size of a pea in your testicle to signal something serious. It’s estimated that 8,850 American men will develop testicular cancer this year. It is most frequently diagnosed in men aged 20 to 34. And, like several [...]
Darius Parrish, a 42-year-old Howell resident, shrugged off an earache, hoping it would go away on its own. But when he woke up one morning a few days later, his wife looked at him and knew something wasn’t right. “The left side of my face was drooping [...]
By Edward Soffen, MD, FACP Going through breast cancer treatment is emotionally and physically difficult for women. It’s also a major disruption to a woman’s everyday life. In the case of radiation therapy, women have traditionally received daily treatments for at least six weeks. Between getting to the hospital [...]
By Amy Tilara, MD One simple procedure may add years to your life. I recently performed a screening colonoscopy on a 51-year-old man who wasn’t experiencing any of the typical symptoms of colon cancer, but had been referred for the test by his primary care physician. I found [...]
Considering the outstanding inroads we’ve made in cancer prevention and detection over the years, it still seems that every day we hear about someone else receiving a cancer diagnosis. It doesn't seem to add up. The good news is that we are more likely to survive cancer and go on to [...]
By Wendy Reizer Pondering procrastination I don’t know why it took me so long to get my first mammogram. I keep trying to figure out why I procrastinated for more than 10 years past the recommended baseline screening age. I don’t think it was fear. And it certainly wasn’t [...]
By Seth S. Joseffer, MD, FACS While other types of cancer have increased or decreased over the past 25 years, brain cancer cases have remained fairly constant. In all, there are more than 120 different types of brain tumors, but glioblastoma (the most malignant brain tumor) accounts for roughly a [...]
