Several tests are, by choice that the Pap test is to detect cell changes before they turn into cancer would be the test of choice, with it although it does not diagnose cancer in itself, puts us track of whether any changes in the cells that warrant further studies to confirm.

There are precancerous lesions called L-and …read the rest of this entry»

Jamie Reno:
Hi, everybody. Welcome to Carecast. This is a live Internet broadcast brought to you by the Cancer Survivors Network. It’s a free service from your American Cancer Society. My name is Jamie Reno and I’m really, really happy to be here today. A quick introduction: I am the San Diego correspondent for Newsweek Magazine. I have been with Newsweek for about ten years and I’ve written extensively about cancer and cancer-related issues for Newsweek and other magazines. I also am a singer/songwriter with two successful solo albums and a third one on the way. And most importantly for this discussion, I am a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma five years ago. I did chemotherapy in 1996, late ‘96, and I did a clinical trial of the monoclonal antibody called BEXXAR® in 1999 when the cancer recurred. I am in remission, thankfully, but I do have the kind of cancer that will most likely keep coming back, so I obviously am very interested in all of these related issues.

Today the topic is a very important one. It’s cancer in the workplace, and I’m sure everyone who has had cancer or known someone with cancer knows that this is a very, very important issue to discuss. Everybody has to deal with the working world. Joining me today by phone are our four guests for this conversation, and four very, very interesting people, four cancer survivors from across the country, although we do seem to have somewhat of a Midwestern slant today.

First of all, I’d like to tell you what we’re going to be talking about with our guests. Among other things, we’ll be talking about the expectations for job performance after cancer, after diagnosis; supervisors who don’t understand; the positives, such as supportive coworkers and having a productive work life; your rights and responsibilities as a worker; reasonable job accommodations; and of course, the ever-present [laughing] health insurance issues. So, let’s get on with it.

Our first guest is Janet. She is a cancer survivor from Nebraska, which is next door to my home state of Iowa. Janet is divorced and has three kids, two girls, 18 and 12, and a boy 15. She is 44 and works for an insurance company. I’m sorry, she worked for an insurance company, and we’ll get into that in just a moment. Welcome to the show, Janet. …read the rest of this entry»