Article: If you had stage II or III colon cancer, or if your surgeon detected the spread of cancerous cells to your lymph nodes while performing surgery, you will most likely be offered a course of adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery. The goal of adjuvant chemotherapy is to target any "micrometastases" (in other words, any small cancerous cells that are undetectable to the naked eye) and to "kill" them, so as to greatly diminish the chance of a future recurrence of your cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy is not necessary for stage I colon cancer, because stage I cancer is confined to the bowel and holds next to zero risk of having spread anywhere else in the body. There is an online program called "Adjuvant!" that helps both physicians and patients to assess the possible risk of recurrence of their colon cancer, alongside the pros and cons of proceeding with adjuvant chemotherapy. This tool can be extremely helpful in allowing patients to see the benefits and risks of proceeding with chemotherapy treatment, and to make an informed decision as to whether it is something that interests them. While surgery is the first-line treatment for stages I, II, and III colon cancer, chemotherapy is the key aspect of treating stage IV. Unfortunately, stage IV colon cancer is technically "incurable," because it has already metastasized to other areas of the body. However, seeking treatment can improve your prognosis and expected lifespan, as well as decrease the symptoms you may be suffering from, so it is certainly worth discussing with your doctor as a treatment option. The reason that chemotherapy is the primary mode of treatment for stage IV colon cancer is that the cancer has spread systemically (throughout your body), and therefore a "systemic treatment" (a treatment that travels throughout your bloodstream to all areas of your body, such as chemotherapy), is needed to have the desired impact. Chemotherapy for stage IV colon cancer is often accompanied by surgery to remove any masses in the colon and/or elsewhere in the body. The purpose of surgically removing masses is to relieve any bowel obstruction, to decrease pain, and to potentially prolong your expected lifespan. There are several different chemotherapy drugs that may be used, either alone or in combination, to treat stage IV metastatic colon cancer. The option that is best for you will depend on a number of factors. These include: Your overall health, which determines your ability to "tolerate," or handle, a particular strength of chemotherapy treatment. This is because certain chemotherapy drugs can be too toxic for people with poor health. Whether this is your first trial of chemotherapy, or whether you have been unsuccessful with other chemotherapy drugs. Generally, the least toxic chemotherapy drugs are used as a first-line treatment for colon cancer. However, with time, the cancer may become "resistant" to these drugs and they may stop working. At this time, you may need to switch which drugs you are on and try a second-line or third-line option to combat your colon cancer. The specific type of colon cancer you have. There are certain subtypes of colon cancer that respond better to certain chemotherapy drugs than others. Your doctor can advise you as to how, if at all, this may impact the chemotherapy drugs that are best in your particular case. Common chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of colon cancer include: Leucovorin, 5-FU, Oxaliplatin, Irinotecan, and Capecitabine, among others. Undergoing chemotherapy treatment for colon cancer can come hand-in-hand with many side effects. Common side effects when undergoing treatment for colon cancer include fatigue, "chemo brain" (a hazy brain where your thinking feels less sharp than normal), a rash, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, mouth sores, an increased risk of developing a fever and/or another infection (due to the toxic effect of chemotherapy on your immune system), and nerve pain, among other things. Fortunately, there are medical treatment available to help minimize many of these side effects, should you begin to experience them during your chemotherapy treatments. You will see your doctor for ongoing visits and monitoring of any side effects throughout your chemotherapy treatments. It is important to share the side effects you are experiencing with your doctor, so that he or she can offer you medications, if a form of treatment is available to help you to cope. While radiation is a frequent method of treating various forms of cancer, it is generally not used for colon cancer. It is, however, occasionally used in rectal cancer, oftentimes in combination with chemotherapy and/or surgery.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Opt for "adjuvant" chemotherapy for stage II or III colon cancer. Proceed with chemotherapy as the mainstay of treatment for stage IV colon cancer. Talk to your doctor to decide on a drug regimen for chemotherapy. Take medications to manage the side effects. Be aware that radiation is rarely used in the treatment of colon cancer.
Article: The holes must fit your fingers in such a way that you can hold the ball without having to squeeze and you can let go without your fingers getting stuck. Because you will be imparting rotation on the ball in the final split seconds that your hand is in contact with it, the importance of grip cannot be overstated. With the ball resting in the palm of your dominant hand, put your middle and ring finger all the way into the two holes that are side-by-side, and your thumb in the hole under them. The holes should be the size of the fingers and thumb, and you should be able to hold the ball easily in the palm of your hand. There shouldn't be tension in the web of your thumb, nor should it be slack. It should take very little pressure to hold the ball in your hand. If you could break an egg with that amount of pressure, it's too much. The characteristics of the core or interior weight block of the bowling ball play an important part in the ball's performance. While there are a number of different core alignments, there are two basic categories into which all balls fit. Determine which type you are using before you get started. Look over your bowling ball and see if it has just one "pin"--the spot on the exterior, usually of a different color, indicating the orientation of the core--or a single normal pin plus a second PSA indicator/mass bias pin. If there is only one pin, the ball should have a symmetric weight block. If you bisected the ball along the axis of the pin, you would discover that both sides are symmetric. This type of ball may be easier for a beginner to handle. A ball with an asymmetric weight block should possess two pins or a pin and an indicator. Just as the name indicates, these balls do not contain symmetric cores, and can contain any shape from that of a cube to something resembling the letter "L." It may prove slightly more difficult for a beginner to attain consistent performance with these bowling balls, but practice with a single ball can certainly change that. There are two separate guidelines used to suggest the size of ball that should be used. One rule of thumb focuses on the sex of the bowler, and suggests that adult women should use a 10-14 pound ball, while adult men use a 14-16 pound ball. The alternate guideline states that a bowler should use a ball roughly 10% of their body weight, up to the 16 pound maximum size of the ball for those over 160 pounds in weight. It is important to use a ball of the appropriate weight in order to impart the necessary amount of spin. A strong individual using a smallish ball could easily impart too much torque and put the ball in the gutter. A weaker individual using too heavy a ball could struggle to impart enough spin in order to make the ball hook. The weight of the ball should be clearly marked on it.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Find a ball with the right grip for you. Identify the type of ball you are using. Select a ball of the appropriate weight.