Kathy LaTour

Of all the things that cancer left me with, scarred veins in my only good arm has been the worst. I have learned to treasure those techs who can find a good vein and hit it the first time.

This survivor details her journey with breast implants following a modified radical mastectomy.

Art can help us understand our deepest feelings, helping us cope and reflecting the complexity of life after cancer.

Although they no longer face the disease, adolescent and young adult survivors live with hardships.

What started as a hangnail turned into one of the most difficult late effects of breast cancer. This survivor found swimming to be a viable treatment for her lymphedema.

Survivors with children face some of the biggest challenges when it comes to visualizing the future. After my breast cancer diagnosis in 1986, it was my daughter's future, rather than my own, for which I bargained.

What can cancer centers boast that they do better than another?

In the years that followed, when I recalled something, it was placed in my life timeline as either before or after cancer.

Magic that occurs when we write.

While celebrating Christmas this year, there was a moment that really surprised me. My youngest stepson said something about being sorry he wasn’t more help when I was going through cancer.

SCOTT WIESKAMP KNEW THE spot on his tonsil wasn’t normal.

Certain cancer treatments can affect the mouth, so dental health should be a lifelong commitment.

We all survived another October and the tidal wave of pink that represents breast cancer.

I didn’t really like this surgeon very much. She was so young and soft spoken.

Fear of recurrence can linger years after diagnosis.

The mouth is also part of the body, and yet, it is only in the past few years that oncologists have begun recommending patients see a dentist before they begin treatment to be sure the teeth and gums are in good shape.

When John McCain died this week, I was reminded of another patient who died of this nasty disease.

It is not always easy to know what to say to a loved one who was just diagnosed with cancer. Here are some dos and don'ts that may help. But remember, every person is different.

Cancer survivors may appear to have returned to normal, but fatigue can continue to affect quality of life for years.

AN INTERVIEW WITH JACKIE MILLER, B.S.N., RN, OCN

An interview with Extraordinary Healer finalist, ELIZABETH DAVIS, B.S.N., RN, CPN.

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTINE STONE, M.S.N., RN, OCN

Survivorship care plans lag more than a decade after launch.

Cancer offers a number of opportunities to be in pain, not only during treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but also from late effects such as peripheral neuropathy.

Doctors must do more to understand the source of pain and how to prevent and treat it.

Today women face a plethora of options. Their tumors are tested for all kinds of differences that may tell them if chemotherapy will work and which drugs would work best. There are support groups and help for families that we didn’t have.

Those of us who had chemotherapy and/or radiation as part of our treatment have now been hit with another lovely late effect, if the results of a new study are accurate. We have the potential to age prematurely.

It is hard to start a new year in the middle of cancer treatment. That was the situation for me, and I recall grasping at anything positive I could find in the coming of a new year.

Christmas can be a real challenge when going through cancer. Aside from the financial burden that may limit the number of boxes under the tree, the emotional burden can dampen what is usually a happy and cheerful time of year.

Even people with health insurance may face financial toxicity as they try to stay on top of medical bills and other disease-related costs.