Imagine being diagnosed with bladder cancer as a young woman, and also being told that after surgery you might end up having to use an outside bag to collect urine. It would change your life and make some activities difficult. Doctors at Mayo Clinic strive to make this situation better for patients. They’re constructing new bladders so people like the cancer survivor you’re about to meet can live normal lives.

Many men diagnosed with prostate cancer win the battle and are cured. Unfortunately some do not. The little girl you’re about to meet lost her dad to prostate cancer. And she turned an event that was extremely tragic into something hopeful. At age 10 she participates in triathlons to raise money for prostate cancer research.

Every year about 250-thousand women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer. Most of these women were not known to be at high risk. That’s why researchers at Mayo Clinic are looking for better ways to identify who’s at increased risk in order to enhance early detection and, perhaps some day, help these women prevent the disease. They’re finding clues in breast tissue.

Marathons, 10-K’s, bike rides and telethons. Events to raise money for diseases like cancer seem to happen all the time. Many of these fund raisers really do make a difference in the race to find a cure. More on how one marathon is raising money to help researchers learn about cancer genes so they can work towards developing better treatments.

Over the last decade, medicine has seen great advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Many people with the disease are living longer and many are cured. That’s thanks to cancer research and people who are willing to make sacrifices. Sacrifices such as donating bone marrow.

This is a story about beating the odds. The woman you’re about to meet was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told she had months to live. But before she had major surgery and chemotherapy to try to keep the devastating disease at bay, she got a second opinion. A new diagnosis with the promise of life.

Breast cancer does not discriminate. Any woman of any race can get it. But what many might not know is that minorities such as African Americans, Latinos and Asians tend to develop breast cancer earlier and often have more aggressive tumors than white women. And too often minorities aren’t diagnosed until after the disease has spread.  More on breast cancer and minorities from Mayo Clinic.

Breast cancer does not discriminate. Any woman of any race can get it. But what many might not know is that minorities such as African Americans, Latinos and Asians tend to develop breast cancer earlier and often have more aggressive tumors than white women. And as we find out in this discussion with Mayo Clinic Dr. Amber Isely, often, minorities aren’t diagnosed until after the disease has spread.

To listen to this podcast click on the following link:  Minorities and Breast Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer is a nasty disease that typically carries a bad prognosis. But there is a rare condition that is often mistaken for pancreatic cancer. Dr. Santhi Vege, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist talks about auto-immune pancreatitis.

Click on the following link to hear this podcast:  Autoimmune Pancreatitis

Research shows that screening for colorectal cancer saves lives. That’s because screening can catch cancer early, while it’s still curable. But let’s face it, having a colonoscopy to look for cancer or precancerous polyps is not fun. Doctors at Mayo Clinic have studied and improved upon a non-invasive screening test that requires no preparation or procedure. The test detects cancer or precancerous polyps by measuring DNA in your stool.