Your Breast Cancer Treatment Team

Your Breast Cancer Treatment Team
By Michael Russell

Today, the majority of breast cancers are diagnosed by mammography. There cancers are small, often too small to be felt and surgeons usually rely on radiologists to localize these small cancers with a hook wire or some injected dye. The technology has changed drastically and we have entered a new era of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Because of the many elements that come into play in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, coordination is necessary among the team of physicians: surgeon, radiation oncologist, cancer pathologist, plastic surgeon, radiologist and medical oncologist.

Ideally, a woman with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer communicates with a primary physician who takes charge of developing a treatment plan with her and then coordinates its implementation. These team members can work at a single institution or be drawn from a wider geographic distribution and any of the cancer specialists can act as the coordinating physician. Often, it is the medical oncologist who coordinates the flow of information and treatment for the patient, but many surgeons and radiation oncologists take on this pivotal role as well.

It is important that breast cancer patients find a cancer specialist that she can communicate with and who will address her concerns. However, there are medical systems in which it may be difficult for the patient to connect with one physician who will act as her coordinating team leader. If you are in this situation, don't despair. You just need adequate information to get you the treatment you need and be your own team leader. It is possible to go through this process without a physician to spearhead your treatment plan and still get high quality health care.

The overall treatment plan revolves around two critical decisions. One deals with local control and the second with the need for systemic therapy. Often, cancer patients and their doctors cannot decide upon the issue of systemic therapy until all the information is available from the surgical procedure.

Since the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are done primarily on an outpatient basis, cancer patients may travel to various locations for different aspects of treatment. Some women may come to a breast cancer facility for the definitive surgery and then have radiotherapy at a facility closer to their home. If patients require various therapies, it is important to consider doing something similar in order to make treatment appointments as convenient as possible.

One of the key tools used in coordinating a woman's care is a treatment planning conference. This conference is a meeting of treatment team members to discuss the patient's case and to develop a coordinated treatment plan based on the patient's situation. The conference allows each of the team members to view a common history, the radiological breast images, the pathology report and pathology images. The patient is usually excluded from the treatment planning conference in order to allow an honest exchange of opinions between the team members. The treatment planning conference is very important in coordinating care. Each of the potentially treating physicians can, in one setting, agree on an overall treatment plan and their particular contribution to that plan. This united approach also guarantees that the physicians line up the sequencing of the different therapies correctly and in the manner that is most beneficial to the cancer patient.

Besides benefiting the woman with breast cancer, the nature of the conference itself promotes education and understanding on the part of various physicians involved. Women diagnosed in the future stand to benefit greatly from the shared pool of information that these conferences provide medical professionals in general.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Breast Cancer

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Winter Wedding Destinations

Winter Wedding Destinations
By Shari Hearn

Toying with the idea of a winter destination wedding, but not sure you want to hold the most special moment of your life in the coldest months of the year? Maybe its time to change your thinking. Winter weddings can be magical events. With a winter wedding you can choose any type of wedding you want. The bride can arrive at the church in a sleigh. Or, maybe she can ski down a mountain slope at a fancy ski resort. Or, perhaps the bride and groom can enjoy a sand ceremony on the beach.

Wait a minute. A sleigh, ski resort, and a beach? Something doesnt belong here. Were talking winter, right?

Thats the great part. A winter destination wedding or elopement means you can chose the type of winter you want. You can have the traditional winter of snow, or head off to a warmer destination. So, what kind of a winter wedding do you want?

Snowy Winter Weddings

Lets face it. To some people theres nothing more romantic than sitting together in front of a roaring fireplace, sipping hot cider, champagne or red wine. Whether youre thinking of eloping, or planning a destination wedding with a group of close relatives and friends, a ceremony at a historic New England Inn or ski resort in Colorado or Utah could be just for you.

Many inns and resorts of New England have special winter wedding packages, such as the Stonebridge Country Club in Manchester, New Hampshire and the Interlaken Inn of Lakeville, Connecticut.

Perhaps you and your future spouse are ski fanatics. What better way to celebrate your marriage than to have a wedding at your favorite ski resort? It will certainly give your guests something fun to do after the ceremony. Most ski areas and resorts have wedding packages available, so you have your choice of such wonderful ski areas and resorts all over the country, like Lake Tahoe, California, Vail, Colorado and Stowe, Vermont. Theres even one town in the Adirondacks of New York which offer free skiing at the town-owned Ski Center. Chestertown in the Adirondacks would make a great winter wedding location, offering wedding guests free cross-country ski trails, a rope tow for downhill skiing, a tobogganing hill and a covered ice-skating rink. In addition, Chestertown has numerous cabins and bed and breakfast inns for you and your guests.

If some of your guests arent into downhill skiing, many ski areas offer other winter activities, such as cross-country skiing or tubing.

Warmer Winter Weddings

Okay, so youre from Vermont and youre sick of snow. You want to get away from the snow for your wedding or elopement. Follow the sun! Florida, California, Arizona, Hawaii and Mexico.

Phoenix, Arizona may seem like a furnace during the summer, but for winter weddings, it offers nice weather, luxurious spas and resorts, as well as the Desert Botanical Gardens in which to host your wedding.

While California beaches may be colder during the winter months, they still are beautiful places to wed. And, during the winter months, you can practically have some romantic beach spots to yourselves.

Winter weddings can offer so many choices. The hard part will be deciding which wonderful wedding destination to choose.

Shari Hearn is a writer and creator of Destination Weddings and Ski Vacations websites.

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Cheap Flights & Hotels for Weddings In India!

Cheap Flights & Hotels for Weddings In India!
By Annie Jones

With the romantic hues of pink all round you, the romantic cities of India never fails to satisfy all your touristic senses. It is no wonder then that India has fast become one of the most popular places on earth in which to tie the knot? Yes, more and more couples are choosing to get married Maharajah-style at one of the opulent palaces in a style reminiscent of the British Raj. For more information on wedding & holiday packages to Jaipur, check out www.ticketstoindia.co.uk for great deals on air fares and discounted hotel rates. Do not even try and book a hotel in Jaipur directly yourself unless you have just won the lottery! Prices are sky high and it is only through a specialist tour operator that you can be assured of excellent quality combined with low prices.

Located just a short drive from the capital city, New Delhi and close to Agra (home to the Taj Mahal), the royal city of Jaipur (also known as The Pink City due to the predominant colour of its buildings), is well established as one of the most romantic places on earth to get married. From the rich history of its palaces to the gorgeous landscaped gardens of the luxury hotels to the serenity of the floating palace on Ramgarh Lakeeverywhere you look there is pinkthe colour of romance.

Jaipur is the throbbing, vibrant capital city of the colourful state of Rajasthan where the regal ambience of yesteryear is still felt throughout the citys numerous carved arches and once-bejewelled fortress walls. Enter this mystical city through a narrow, cobbled street where street vendors selling everything from sweetmeats to silver trinkets and leather slippers call out to passing trade. Pass the huge hill on the right with its stunning royal residence where decorated elephants obediently transport delighted tourists to the top for its amazing vistas of the city spread out below. Follow the winding road until you begin to see the glittering lights of the citys numerous palaces begin to emerge on the left hand side across the glistening waters of the Ramgarh Lake. Stop to take pictures or simply gaze in stunned silence at the beauty of the floating palace of Ramgarh perfectly illuminated by golden lights strategically placed on all four corners of the palace.

And then comes the main citysurprisingly wide, clean roads with some of the most well known brand names dotted on each sidefrom the newly opened Hilton Trident to the Sheraton and Le Meridienyou will find a massive choice of premium accommodation in Jaipur. Each hotel has retained the citys former glory and royal demeanour and the service excels itself. Just remember to book your stay well in advance to avoid disappointment, as it is busy year round in this city of royal romance. Some of the most highly recommended hotels to stay in whilst visiting Jaipur include the Taj Groups Rambagh Palace and the Jai Mahal Palace Hotel. The opulence of both hotels will literally take your breath away and many a wedding takes place in the perfectly landscaped grounds of these hotels with their backdrop of lush palms and fountains.

A quick tip: whether staying at the Rambagh Palace or not, do take time to enjoy the delicious al-fresco breakfast buffet where the smart Jodhpur & waistcoat clad staff will treat you like royalty. With eggs made to order and succulent sausages and bacon following plates of the freshest, sweetest fruits, the plump muffins and Danish pastries are hard to refuse especially when accompanied with a choice of teas, coffee and piping hot chocolate. And all served in the finest china and silver.

Drive further down the main boulevards of Jaipur city and you come to a set of intricately carved arches, which divide the Old City from the New City. Once through the arches, your senses are immediately assaulted by the noisy onslaught of rickshaws, buffalo carts, taxis, bicycles, scooters, elephants and cars all jostling for space on the same road. Whistle blowing policemen, horn blowing cars, mooing cows and convincing street peddlars create a melodious harmony of ethnic sounds, which to the first time visitor to Jaipur, can be quite startling!

In addition to booking your flights and accommodation, we can also arrange:

• Meet & Greet at Airport
• Assistance of a Wedding Planner
• Wedding Day schedule
• A beauty treatment for the bride (manicure /pedicure /hair styling etc)
• A professional wedding photographer to record memories of your special day.
• Assistance with all legal paperwork
• Appointment at the Registrars Office the day before the Wedding

Annie Jones writes about Weddings In India. Get more information about Cheap Flights To India at http://www.ticketstoindia.co.uk

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Why Fuss Over Wedding Centerpieces Simple Ideas

Why Fuss Over Wedding Centerpieces - Simple Ideas
By Daisy May

Dreaming of having the perfect wedding is what every bride and groom wish for and why wouldnt they with all the time and effort they put into the preparations. Wedding plans and what goes on behind the scenes is very time consuming. Things like ordering the wedding bands, gown, and securing the date for the reception hall and chapel can all prove to be an ordeal, but if carefully thought out instead of leaving arrangements like this to the last minute then you can be sure of a smooth road ahead. Sometimes it is the little things that are overlooked that can cause the whole event to go pear shaped and one being is the absence of a centrepiece. Wedding centrepieces are beautiful embellishments that are extremely important. These eye catching pieces of work will add beauty where ever they are placed.

Centrepieces do not have to be the centre of attention on the day but if displayed with perfection in mind then expect surrounding areas to send out volumes of high tone attractiveness especially if the centrepiece is flowers.

Classical yet simple wedding centrepieces intend to evolve round flowers and ornaments. Flowers without doubt are a hot favourite for couples tying the knot because of the way the nature blooms add colour and project a lingering natural fragranced aroma. Check availability on flowers because they are seasonal and therefore your choice may have to be shipped in from another country.

Have an organiser come in early to arrange all flower displays; this will give you time to satisfy your curiosity of how they will look. Remember wrong blossoms can do more harm taking away beauty instead of enhancing it. Other ideal options for a wedding centrepiece are silver candelabras. If you are considering floating candles in a glass bowl then you have a guarantee of a pretty enough sight to take the limelight

Depending on where you marry centrepieces will differ, if the wedding ceremony is to be held in the garden then consider nature for your theme. Miniature birdhouses and flower baskets are fabulous items that can be used.

If after all those months of scrimping and scraping and you find your self still counting the pennies then budget wisely but do not fret. Have fresh fruit, just as sweet smelling as flowers but this way you get the best of both worlds where you have a centre piece juicy enough to eat.

A fabulous site for all wedding essentials is http://www.your-wedding-planning-help.com. If baking your own cake tickles your fancy then educate yourself on what you need to know http://www.allaboutonlineeducation.com.

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