Verywell Health

Jan

2023

What Is Smallpox?

Verywell Health, January 26, 2023.

Smallpox is a deadly infectious disease caused by a virus. It hasn’t caused an infection in the wild since the 1970s. No one has had smallpox in the United States since 1949. The last death from smallpox was in the United Kingdom in 1978.

Though you’re not likely to encounter smallpox in the wild, it still exists in two labs. These two labs are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and the Vector Institute in Russia. These samples are kept to test drugs and conduct other experiments. Read More >

Jan

2023

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Antineoplastic Drugs

Verywell Health, January 26, 2023.

Antineoplastic drugs are medicines used to treat cancer and other diseases. It’s a general name for drugs that stop tumor cells from growing and dividing. Antineoplastic drugs are also called anticancer drugs, chemotherapy, cytotoxic drugs, oncology drugs, and cancer drugs.

The goal of antineoplastic drugs in cancer treatment is to stop or block the growth of cells in a tumor.

These drugs may also treat arthritis, multiple sclerosis, benign (noncancerous) tumors, and other noncancer medical conditions. Read More>

Jan

2023

What Is Toxoplasmosis?

Verywell Health, January 24, 2023.

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is a tiny single-celled organism called a protozoan. People can acquire it from undercooked meat and exposure to cat feces.

In healthy individuals, this infection doesn’t usually do lasting damage and often shows no symptoms. But, pregnant people, their fetuses, and people with a weakened immune system are at risk of more dangerous infections. Read More >

Dec

2022

What Is Thymoma?

Verywell Health, December 31 2022.

Thymoma is a tumor (growth) of the thymus gland. It may be benign or malignant (cancer). The thymus gland is part of the lymphatic system—the tissues that help produce, store, and transport white blood cells. The thymus helps white blood cells called T lymphocytes grow and multiply. It’s found in the chest behind the breastbone.

Thymomas are rare. There are only about 400 cases of thymomas per year in the United States. Thymic carcinoma accounts for 20% of all tumors in the thymus. Read More >

Nov

2022

Triple Positive Breast Cancer Prognosis

Verywell Health, November 29 2022.

Triple-positive breast cancer has three features that influence its prognosis and set it apart from other subtypes of breast cancer. It grows in response to two hormones and makes a lot of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).

While these features mean cancer grows fast, it also means that it has many treatment options. It responds to both hormone treatments and targeted treatments against HER2. However, new research suggests that it may not respond as well to these drugs as other breast cancers with HER2. Read More >

Mar

2021

What Is Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer?

Verywell Health, March 15, 2021.

Nonmelanoma skin cancers are a group of cancers that develop in the upper layers of the skin. They include several different types of skin cancer, but the two most common are squamous cell skin cancer (or squamous cell carcinoma) and basal cell carcinoma.

Most nonmelanoma skin cancers are easily treatable, especially when caught early, but some are more dangerous. For most people, skin cancers are relatively preventable. Read More >