What is stomach cancer?
The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow, divide and die. Sometimes, cells mutate (change) and begin to grow and divide more quickly than normal cells. Rather than dying, these abnormal cells clump together to form tumors. If these tumors are cancerous (also called "malignant"), they can invade and kill your body's healthy tissues. From these tumors, cancer cells can metastasize (spread) and form new tumors in other parts of the body. By contrast, noncancerous tumors (also called "benign") do not spread to other parts of the body.
Stomach cancer (also called “gastric cancer”) is the growth of cancer cells in the lining and wall of the stomach.
Who is at risk of getting stomach cancer?
Your chances of getting stomach cancer are higher if you have had a stomach infection caused by bacteria called Helicobacter pylori. You are also more likely to get stomach cancer if you:
1.Are a man
2.Are older than 50 years of age
3.Have several close relatives who have had stomach cancer
4.Smoke cigarettes
5.Abuse alcohol
6.Eat a lot of pickled or salty foods
7.Are an African American, Hispanic American, Asian American or Pacific Islander
Can I prevent stomach cancer?
There is no way to prevent stomach cancer. However, you can help reduce your risk of getting stomach cancer by not drinking a lot of alcohol or smoking. Also, eat a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, and vitamin C. Vitamin C is found in foods such as oranges, grapefruit and broccoli.
What are the symptoms of stomach cancer?
Sometimes cancer can grow in the stomach for a long time before it causes symptoms. In the early stages, stomach cancer can cause the following symptoms:
1.Indigestion, stomach discomfort or heartburn
2.Nausea or loss of appetite
3.Feeling tired
When the cancer is larger, it can cause the following symptoms:
1.Blood in your stool
2.A bloated feeling after eating
3.Vomiting
4.Unexplained weight loss
5.Stomach pain
Many of these symptoms can be caused by conditions other than cancer. However, if you have any of these problems and they don’t go away, talk with your doctor. The earlier stomach cancer is found, the better the chances are that it can be cured.
How can my doctor tell if I have stomach cancer?
If your doctor suspects that you might have stomach cancer, he or she will look at your medical history and do a complete physical exam. Your doctor may want you to get an x-ray test of your stomach. For this test, you drink a liquid containing barium. Barium is a chalky substance that coats the lining of your stomach. This makes it easier for doctors to see on the x-ray.
Your doctor might use endoscopy (say: "in-dos-ko-pee") to try to see the tumor. For this exam, a thin, lighted tube is put into your mouth and passed down to your stomach. Your doctor may give you medicine before the test so that you feel no pain.
During endoscopy, your doctor might take a small piece of your stomach to check for cancer cells. This is called a biopsy sample. The sample is then sent to a lab where it is looked at under a microscope.
How is stomach cancer treated?
Treatment for stomach cancer may include surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or a combination of these treatments. The choice of treatment depends on whether the cancer is just in the stomach or if it has spread to other places in the body. A person’s age and overall health will also affect the choice of treatment.
Showing posts with label Cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cancer. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Stomach cancer
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The Science of Drinking
What makes you feel drunk?
When a person drinks an alcoholic beverage, about 20% of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and about 80% is absorbed in the small intestine.
One of the most rapid affects of alcohol is on the central nervous system (CNS), which controls a range of vital body functions including speech, muscles, sense organs and sweat glands.
Usually the CNS receives information from organs such as the eyes and ears, analyses it and then responds, perhaps by contracting a muscle. However, alcohol impairs our CNS functioning which, in turn, causes the usual symptoms of being drunk. These include disturbed balance, slurred speech, blurred vision, excess sweating and the dulling of our sensation of pain.
Alcohol also affects the outer layer of the brain (the frontal cortex) that is concerned with conscious thought. This is why people under the influence of alcohol often lose their inhibitions and dance on the tables.
What makes you feel so lousy?
Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic. This means it encourages the body to lose more water than it takes on by halting the production of the body's anti-diuretic hormone. This means you feel the need to pee excessively, thus speeding up the loss of fluid from the body that leads to dehydration.
Alcohol also attacks our stores of vitamins and minerals, which need to be in the correct balance for the body to function normally. Dehydration caused by drinking can affect the balance by draining potassium from the body, resulting in thirst, muscle cramps, dizziness and faintness.
The shakes: When a person drinks, they take in large quantities of increased glucose. Their body responds to this by producing more insulin, which removes the glucose. Once the process has started, the insulin carries on working removing glucose from the blood. Low blood glucose levels are responsible for the shakes, excess sweating, dizziness, blurred vision and tiredness.
Munchies: To overcome this feeling of lethargy the body craves a carbohydrate boost, which is why many people want chips when they have been drinking.
Breaking it down
The liver is the main organ that gets rid of alcohol by breaking it down. It metabolises about 90% of the alcohol in our body while only about 10% is excreted through either our urine or breath. The liver metabolises alcohol at the rate of one to two units per hour, sometimes less than that in women.
The liver needs water to get rid of toxins from the body but, as alcohol acts as a diuretic, there will not be sufficient amounts in the body, so the liver is forced to divert water from other organs including the brain, which causes the throbbing headaches.
The liver also produces more toxins in the body as a by-product during the breakdown of alcohol. When the liver is metabolising alcohol it produces acetaldehyde, a substance which has toxic effects on our liver, brain and stomach lining, resulting in severe headache, nausea, vomiting and heartburn (aka hangover).
Sleep
Alcohol interferes with sleeping rhythms, while dehydration reduces the quality of rest we get. Alcohol also relaxes the muscles in the back of your mouth, increasing the likelihood of snoring.
The Morning after
If your alcohol consumption was fairly high the night before, then you will be greeted with more than a common hangover the next day. You could have one or all of these:
When a person drinks an alcoholic beverage, about 20% of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and about 80% is absorbed in the small intestine.
One of the most rapid affects of alcohol is on the central nervous system (CNS), which controls a range of vital body functions including speech, muscles, sense organs and sweat glands.
Usually the CNS receives information from organs such as the eyes and ears, analyses it and then responds, perhaps by contracting a muscle. However, alcohol impairs our CNS functioning which, in turn, causes the usual symptoms of being drunk. These include disturbed balance, slurred speech, blurred vision, excess sweating and the dulling of our sensation of pain.
Alcohol also affects the outer layer of the brain (the frontal cortex) that is concerned with conscious thought. This is why people under the influence of alcohol often lose their inhibitions and dance on the tables.
What makes you feel so lousy?
Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic. This means it encourages the body to lose more water than it takes on by halting the production of the body's anti-diuretic hormone. This means you feel the need to pee excessively, thus speeding up the loss of fluid from the body that leads to dehydration.
Alcohol also attacks our stores of vitamins and minerals, which need to be in the correct balance for the body to function normally. Dehydration caused by drinking can affect the balance by draining potassium from the body, resulting in thirst, muscle cramps, dizziness and faintness.
The shakes: When a person drinks, they take in large quantities of increased glucose. Their body responds to this by producing more insulin, which removes the glucose. Once the process has started, the insulin carries on working removing glucose from the blood. Low blood glucose levels are responsible for the shakes, excess sweating, dizziness, blurred vision and tiredness.
Munchies: To overcome this feeling of lethargy the body craves a carbohydrate boost, which is why many people want chips when they have been drinking.
Breaking it down
The liver is the main organ that gets rid of alcohol by breaking it down. It metabolises about 90% of the alcohol in our body while only about 10% is excreted through either our urine or breath. The liver metabolises alcohol at the rate of one to two units per hour, sometimes less than that in women.
The liver needs water to get rid of toxins from the body but, as alcohol acts as a diuretic, there will not be sufficient amounts in the body, so the liver is forced to divert water from other organs including the brain, which causes the throbbing headaches.
The liver also produces more toxins in the body as a by-product during the breakdown of alcohol. When the liver is metabolising alcohol it produces acetaldehyde, a substance which has toxic effects on our liver, brain and stomach lining, resulting in severe headache, nausea, vomiting and heartburn (aka hangover).
Sleep
Alcohol interferes with sleeping rhythms, while dehydration reduces the quality of rest we get. Alcohol also relaxes the muscles in the back of your mouth, increasing the likelihood of snoring.
The Morning after
If your alcohol consumption was fairly high the night before, then you will be greeted with more than a common hangover the next day. You could have one or all of these:
- The toxicity of alcohol can irritate the stomach causing gastritis (chronic stomach upset) often leading to vomiting.
- Alcohol can cause inflammation of the oesophagus, the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach, causing heartburn.
- Alcohol often affects your bowel movements. The small and large intestine reabsorb salt and water but alcohol interferes with this process often causing diarrhoea.
Posted by TimeSharing at 6:53 PM
Labels: Addictions, Cancer, Health
Monday, December 3, 2007
Leukaemia - BLood Cancer
Q. What is Leukaemia?
A. Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. Just as there are many different types of white blood cell, so there are many different types of leukaemia. There are two main types: lymphocytic leukaemia (arising from a type of white blood cell called a lymphocyte) and myeloid leukaemia (arising from an immature type of white blood cell called a myeloid stem cell).
Q. What do chronic and acute mean?
A. Leukaemias are also divided into the slower (called chronic) and faster growing (called acute). There are chronic and acute forms of both the lymphocytic and myeloid leukaemias. Chronic leukaemia cells tend to accumulate in the blood whereas acute leukaemia cells tend to accumulate in both the blood and bone marrow. All blood cells start their life in the bone marrow.
Q. How common is leukaemia?
A. There were 6,755 cases of leukaemia diagnosed in the UK in 2001, the most recent year for which we have records. One third of these were acute myeloid leukaemia and another third were chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. One tenth were acute lymphocytic leukaemia and another tenth were chronic myeloid leukaemia. The rest were other, rarer types of leukaemia.
Q. Isn't leukaemia a children's cancer?
A. About half of all cases of acute lymphocytic leukaemia are in children under 10 years old, with another quarter of cases occurring in adolescents. However, the other main types of leukaemia normally occurr in people over 50. There are 500 cases of leukaemia in the UK each year amongst children, but 3,500 cases in people over 60.
Q. Who is at risk of leukaemia?
A. High levels of exposure to radiation are known to increase the risk of leukaemia, but the levels of exposure for the public, including people in the nuclear industry, radiologists, and people living near Sellafield, are so low that researchers cannot find any reliable evidence of increased risk for them. Smoking increases the risk of myeloid leukaemia. Exposure to benzene (an industrial chemical) has also been linked to a risk of these leukaemias. The chemotherapy and radiotherapy used to treat some other cancers does cause a slight increase in the risk of getting acute myeloid leukaemia, although this is low enough to justify the use of these therapies.
Q. Doesn't living under power lines increase the risk?
A. There is no reliable evidence that living near power lines or electricity generators is linked to an increased risk of leukaemia. Some research has found a link between people working in power generating facilities and a higher risk of leukaemia, but other studies have not.
Q. Are there other diseases that lead on to leukaemia?
A. There are several blood diseases, such as myelodysplasia, which have a significant risk of developing into leukaemia. In addition, children with Down's Syndrome are 10 to 20 times more likely to get leukaemia.
Q. Does leukaemia run in families?
A. An increased risk of leukaemia can run in families. If one person in the family has leukaemia, the other members have three times the normal risk of getting the same type of leukaemia.
Q. What are the symptoms of leukaemia?
A. The main symptoms of leukaemia are anaemia, frequent bruising, infections and abnormal bleeding.
Q. How is leukaemia diagnosed?
A. Chronic leukaemias are usually diagnosed by taking a blood sample and examining the cells under a microscope. However, for lymphocytic leukaemias, it is necessary to take a bone marrow sample for an accurate diagnosis.
Q. How is leukaemia treated?
A. For all types of leukaemia, chemotherapy is the main type of treatment, usually combined with a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. High doses of the drugs are used which kill not only the leukaemia cells but also the patients bone marrow cells. This would normally prevent the patient from making new blood cells and soon prove fatal, but the bone marrow or stem cell transplant restores the bone marrow. Various treatments have been tried for chronic myeloid leukaemia, including the use of interferon.
Q. How effective are the treatments?
A. Improved treatments for children with leukaemia now mean that nearly nine out of ten of them can be cured. However, the cure rates for adults with leukaemia are not as good. For chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, about half of the patients die within five years of being diagnosed. For chronic myeloid leukaemia, about one third survive for five years. For acute myeloid leukaemia, only one in ten patients survives for five years. Amongst the few adults diagnosed with acute lumphocytic leukaemia, the outcome depends on their age. About one third of the patients aged under 40 will survive for five years, but this goes down to about one patient in twenty for those aged over 70.
A. Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. Just as there are many different types of white blood cell, so there are many different types of leukaemia. There are two main types: lymphocytic leukaemia (arising from a type of white blood cell called a lymphocyte) and myeloid leukaemia (arising from an immature type of white blood cell called a myeloid stem cell).
Q. What do chronic and acute mean?
A. Leukaemias are also divided into the slower (called chronic) and faster growing (called acute). There are chronic and acute forms of both the lymphocytic and myeloid leukaemias. Chronic leukaemia cells tend to accumulate in the blood whereas acute leukaemia cells tend to accumulate in both the blood and bone marrow. All blood cells start their life in the bone marrow.
Q. How common is leukaemia?
A. There were 6,755 cases of leukaemia diagnosed in the UK in 2001, the most recent year for which we have records. One third of these were acute myeloid leukaemia and another third were chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. One tenth were acute lymphocytic leukaemia and another tenth were chronic myeloid leukaemia. The rest were other, rarer types of leukaemia.
Q. Isn't leukaemia a children's cancer?
A. About half of all cases of acute lymphocytic leukaemia are in children under 10 years old, with another quarter of cases occurring in adolescents. However, the other main types of leukaemia normally occurr in people over 50. There are 500 cases of leukaemia in the UK each year amongst children, but 3,500 cases in people over 60.
Q. Who is at risk of leukaemia?
A. High levels of exposure to radiation are known to increase the risk of leukaemia, but the levels of exposure for the public, including people in the nuclear industry, radiologists, and people living near Sellafield, are so low that researchers cannot find any reliable evidence of increased risk for them. Smoking increases the risk of myeloid leukaemia. Exposure to benzene (an industrial chemical) has also been linked to a risk of these leukaemias. The chemotherapy and radiotherapy used to treat some other cancers does cause a slight increase in the risk of getting acute myeloid leukaemia, although this is low enough to justify the use of these therapies.
Q. Doesn't living under power lines increase the risk?
A. There is no reliable evidence that living near power lines or electricity generators is linked to an increased risk of leukaemia. Some research has found a link between people working in power generating facilities and a higher risk of leukaemia, but other studies have not.
Q. Are there other diseases that lead on to leukaemia?
A. There are several blood diseases, such as myelodysplasia, which have a significant risk of developing into leukaemia. In addition, children with Down's Syndrome are 10 to 20 times more likely to get leukaemia.
Q. Does leukaemia run in families?
A. An increased risk of leukaemia can run in families. If one person in the family has leukaemia, the other members have three times the normal risk of getting the same type of leukaemia.
Q. What are the symptoms of leukaemia?
A. The main symptoms of leukaemia are anaemia, frequent bruising, infections and abnormal bleeding.
Q. How is leukaemia diagnosed?
A. Chronic leukaemias are usually diagnosed by taking a blood sample and examining the cells under a microscope. However, for lymphocytic leukaemias, it is necessary to take a bone marrow sample for an accurate diagnosis.
Q. How is leukaemia treated?
A. For all types of leukaemia, chemotherapy is the main type of treatment, usually combined with a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. High doses of the drugs are used which kill not only the leukaemia cells but also the patients bone marrow cells. This would normally prevent the patient from making new blood cells and soon prove fatal, but the bone marrow or stem cell transplant restores the bone marrow. Various treatments have been tried for chronic myeloid leukaemia, including the use of interferon.
Q. How effective are the treatments?
A. Improved treatments for children with leukaemia now mean that nearly nine out of ten of them can be cured. However, the cure rates for adults with leukaemia are not as good. For chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, about half of the patients die within five years of being diagnosed. For chronic myeloid leukaemia, about one third survive for five years. For acute myeloid leukaemia, only one in ten patients survives for five years. Amongst the few adults diagnosed with acute lumphocytic leukaemia, the outcome depends on their age. About one third of the patients aged under 40 will survive for five years, but this goes down to about one patient in twenty for those aged over 70.
What are the symptoms, Diagnosis and treatments of Breast Cancer?
What are the symptoms of Breast Cancer?
Screening for breast cancer by mammography (X-raying the breast) is offered every three years in the UK to all women between 50 and 64. The highest number of cases of breast cancer occurs in women between these ages.
Mammography can detect very early breast tumours, when they are too small to be felt. In fact, most of the breast cancers detected by screening are at this very early stage, when they are relatively easy to cure. Studies have shown that women who take part in screening are more likely to have breast cancer diagnosed early and more likely to have it cured and, as a result, are less likely to die from it, than women who do not take part in mammography screening.
Another method of screening available to all women is to feel the breasts for any lumps. A guide on how to do this properly can be obtained at any doctor's surgery. Women should also check for the other main symptoms:
The most important method used to diagnose breast cancer is by taking a biopsy (a tissue sample). A hollow needle is pushed into the breast lump to capture a tiny sample of the tissue. This is examined under a microscope. The shape and appearance of the cells in the tissue sample reveals whether the lump is benign, which is true of the vast majority, or if it is cancerous.
Q. How important is early detection?
A. We can currently cure six out of every seven patients who are diagnosed when their breast cancer is at the early stage. However, if they are diagnosed when it has become advanced, the cure rate falls to about one in seven. It is extremely important to catch breast cancer at an early stage.
Treatment
The main treatment for breast cancer is surgery. In most cases, conservative surgery is used, which preserves the shape and appearance of the breast. For very early breast cancer, only the lump and a small area of tissue around it is removed. For later stage breast cancer, much more tissue is removed but it is replaced with muscle to rebuild the breast. Since breast cancer cells usually spread first to the lymph node in the armpit, the surgeon will usually cut into it to check for any spread.
The surgery may be followed by a short course of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, depending on the type of tumour and how advanced it is. In most cases, the patient will be given a longer course of hormone therapy (eg tamoxifen) which reduces the risk of the cancer recurring.
The treatment for breast cancer has been improving for the last twenty years. In the early 1970's, only half of all women diagnosed with the disease survived for five years. Now, over three quarters survive for that long and most of them will live for very much longer.
Screening for breast cancer by mammography (X-raying the breast) is offered every three years in the UK to all women between 50 and 64. The highest number of cases of breast cancer occurs in women between these ages.
Mammography can detect very early breast tumours, when they are too small to be felt. In fact, most of the breast cancers detected by screening are at this very early stage, when they are relatively easy to cure. Studies have shown that women who take part in screening are more likely to have breast cancer diagnosed early and more likely to have it cured and, as a result, are less likely to die from it, than women who do not take part in mammography screening.
Another method of screening available to all women is to feel the breasts for any lumps. A guide on how to do this properly can be obtained at any doctor's surgery. Women should also check for the other main symptoms:
- Change in the size or shape of a breast
- Dimpling of the breast skin
- The nipple becoming inverted
- Swelling or a lump in the armpit
- Diagnosis
The most important method used to diagnose breast cancer is by taking a biopsy (a tissue sample). A hollow needle is pushed into the breast lump to capture a tiny sample of the tissue. This is examined under a microscope. The shape and appearance of the cells in the tissue sample reveals whether the lump is benign, which is true of the vast majority, or if it is cancerous.
Q. How important is early detection?
A. We can currently cure six out of every seven patients who are diagnosed when their breast cancer is at the early stage. However, if they are diagnosed when it has become advanced, the cure rate falls to about one in seven. It is extremely important to catch breast cancer at an early stage.
Treatment
The main treatment for breast cancer is surgery. In most cases, conservative surgery is used, which preserves the shape and appearance of the breast. For very early breast cancer, only the lump and a small area of tissue around it is removed. For later stage breast cancer, much more tissue is removed but it is replaced with muscle to rebuild the breast. Since breast cancer cells usually spread first to the lymph node in the armpit, the surgeon will usually cut into it to check for any spread.
The surgery may be followed by a short course of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, depending on the type of tumour and how advanced it is. In most cases, the patient will be given a longer course of hormone therapy (eg tamoxifen) which reduces the risk of the cancer recurring.
The treatment for breast cancer has been improving for the last twenty years. In the early 1970's, only half of all women diagnosed with the disease survived for five years. Now, over three quarters survive for that long and most of them will live for very much longer.
Breast Cancer
Q. How common is breast cancer?
A. There are over 212,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the USA each year. In Canada the figure is 20,500, Australia 13,000 and in the UK the figure is 41,000. Overall, one woman in every nine will get breast cancer at some time in her life.
Q. Who is most at risk?
A. Breast cancer is overwhelmingly a female disease, but about 1% of cases occur in men (around 300 per year in the UK). Amongst women it becomes more common as age increases. More than 80% of cases occur in women over 50. Taking the contraceptive pill slightly increases the risk. Taking hormone replacement therapy significantly increases your risk somewhat more, but the health benefits derived from hormone replacement are better overall. Obesity and heavy drinking also significantly increase the risk.
If one or more relatives have had breast cancer, this also increases your risk of developing it (see below).
Q. Does breast cancer run in families?
A. Having one close relative (mother or sister) with breast cancer doubles your risk of getting breast cancer, when compared to women with no cases in the family. Having two close relatives affected increases your risk further.
There are a very few families in which breast cancer is very common - ie four or more cases. Most of these families carry faulty versions of the 'BRCA' breast cancer genes. Women with a faulty BRCA gene have a 50% to 80% chance of getting breast cancer. Testing for faulty BRCA genes is available on the NHS.
Q. Is the use of deodorants linked to breast cancer?
A. There has been a persistent internet rumour that underarm deodorants cause breast cancer and even one or two newspaper articles that suggested this was backed up by research findings. However, there is no good evidence from cancer research to support this idea. On the contrary: in a large study comparing breast cancer patients and healthy women, there was no difference found at all in their use of underarm deodorants.
Cancer Basics
What is cancer?
All living things - ourselves included - are made up of cells. Cells are microscopic packages of living material and we have billions of them. They come in many different types: liver cells, brain cells, blood cells and so on. In the normal adult, cells only grow and divide slowly and under very tight control to make sure that the number of cells in each tissue stays the same. Cancer begins when one cells changes and starts growing and dividing rapidly and out of control. This one cells divides to give two cells, then four, eight and so on until they form growing mass of cancer cells - called a tumour.
What do malignant and benign mean?
In some tumours, the cells stay in the same place and as the tumour stops growing before it gets very large - often because it simply runs out space to grow. These are called benign tumours and they are not normally dangerous. We all have benign tumours, such as moles and warts. However, in other tumours the cells are able to invade the surrounding tissue and spread into nearby organs where they can cause serious and, eventually, fatal damage. These are called malignant tumours.
What is metastasis?
In many malignant tumours, as the cells spread, they come across blood vessels. If they actually spread into the blood vessel, they get carried around the body and eventually get stuck in a smaller blood vessel in another part of the body. Here they begin to divide and grow again eventually forming a new tumour. These are called secondary tumours or metastases. This process of cancers spreading around the body is called metastasis.
Do genes cause cancer?
Every cell carries a set of coded instructions for every activity or function that it can perform. Different genes are active in different cells, which is why a brain cell carries out many different activities from muscle cell. Genes also carry the coded instructions for basic functions of the cell such as the way cells grow and divide. The growth and division of normal cells is tightly controlled by the activity of certain genes. However, when these genes are faulty or when they mechanisms controlling the activity of these genes is damaged, it can cause the growth and division of the cells to go out of control - in other words, the become cancerous. Genes themselves do not cause cancer. When they function normally, genes prevent cancer. However, it is when some genes become damaged that they can malfunction and cause cancer.
Can you inherit cancer?
Cancer itself cannot be inherited, but some people do inherit a higher risk of getting cancer. This is because they inherit, from their parents, a slightly damaged version of one of the genes involved in controlling cell division. On its own, this damaged gene is not enough to make cells cancerous. Normally, two or three different genes have to be damaged before a cell will become cancerous. That is why so very few of the billions of cells in our body ever become cancerous. However, if someone starts out with every cell in their body carrying damage in one of these genes, the chance of a cell getting the other types of gene damage and becoming cancerous is much higher. Some of these inherited damaged genes have been identified, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 which increase the risk of getting breast cancer by five to seven times.
Do tumours need a blood supply?
A tumour usually starts with a single cancerous cell that begins growing and dividing. The resulting mass of cancer cells soon gets large enough to need a new blood supply to provide oxygen and nutrients and to remove waste products. Without a blood supply, the cells in the middle of the tumour will die off. In fact, tumours without a blood supply are unable to grow more that about one millimetre across. As soon as they start growing, tumours release small, hormone-like molecules that cause nearby blood vessels to start growing towards the tumour until they actually form a new branch supplying the tumour with blood.
All living things - ourselves included - are made up of cells. Cells are microscopic packages of living material and we have billions of them. They come in many different types: liver cells, brain cells, blood cells and so on. In the normal adult, cells only grow and divide slowly and under very tight control to make sure that the number of cells in each tissue stays the same. Cancer begins when one cells changes and starts growing and dividing rapidly and out of control. This one cells divides to give two cells, then four, eight and so on until they form growing mass of cancer cells - called a tumour.
What do malignant and benign mean?
In some tumours, the cells stay in the same place and as the tumour stops growing before it gets very large - often because it simply runs out space to grow. These are called benign tumours and they are not normally dangerous. We all have benign tumours, such as moles and warts. However, in other tumours the cells are able to invade the surrounding tissue and spread into nearby organs where they can cause serious and, eventually, fatal damage. These are called malignant tumours.
What is metastasis?
In many malignant tumours, as the cells spread, they come across blood vessels. If they actually spread into the blood vessel, they get carried around the body and eventually get stuck in a smaller blood vessel in another part of the body. Here they begin to divide and grow again eventually forming a new tumour. These are called secondary tumours or metastases. This process of cancers spreading around the body is called metastasis.
Do genes cause cancer?
Every cell carries a set of coded instructions for every activity or function that it can perform. Different genes are active in different cells, which is why a brain cell carries out many different activities from muscle cell. Genes also carry the coded instructions for basic functions of the cell such as the way cells grow and divide. The growth and division of normal cells is tightly controlled by the activity of certain genes. However, when these genes are faulty or when they mechanisms controlling the activity of these genes is damaged, it can cause the growth and division of the cells to go out of control - in other words, the become cancerous. Genes themselves do not cause cancer. When they function normally, genes prevent cancer. However, it is when some genes become damaged that they can malfunction and cause cancer.
Can you inherit cancer?
Cancer itself cannot be inherited, but some people do inherit a higher risk of getting cancer. This is because they inherit, from their parents, a slightly damaged version of one of the genes involved in controlling cell division. On its own, this damaged gene is not enough to make cells cancerous. Normally, two or three different genes have to be damaged before a cell will become cancerous. That is why so very few of the billions of cells in our body ever become cancerous. However, if someone starts out with every cell in their body carrying damage in one of these genes, the chance of a cell getting the other types of gene damage and becoming cancerous is much higher. Some of these inherited damaged genes have been identified, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 which increase the risk of getting breast cancer by five to seven times.
Do tumours need a blood supply?
A tumour usually starts with a single cancerous cell that begins growing and dividing. The resulting mass of cancer cells soon gets large enough to need a new blood supply to provide oxygen and nutrients and to remove waste products. Without a blood supply, the cells in the middle of the tumour will die off. In fact, tumours without a blood supply are unable to grow more that about one millimetre across. As soon as they start growing, tumours release small, hormone-like molecules that cause nearby blood vessels to start growing towards the tumour until they actually form a new branch supplying the tumour with blood.
Soya cancer
Recent studies have shown that eating soya products has helped protect Asian women against certain types of cancer. Scientists at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee conducted a study of 120 Asian women. Results produced more evidence that a long-term diet rich in soy can be linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer - as much as a 50 percent in some cases.
The soybean is used in foods and beverages, including, soyamilk, soya coffee, butter, veggie burgers, crackers, cookies and flour. Low in cholesterol and high in isoflavones, the benefits of the soyabean are many. Start adding some to your diet today. Better yet, start your babies on it early and continue as a lifelong commitment to healthy eating.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Prostrate Cancer : A threat to men
Prostate cancer will affect more than 200,000 men this year alone. Prostate is the muscular gland about the size of a walnut, it is the part of the urethra that send urine and sperm out of the body. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men, more common in African American men. Basically, prostate cancer is a malignant tumor found in the prostate. Most men won’t know that they have the disease because it is so slow moving. If caught early enough the cancer will stay solely in the prostate and it won’t spread making treatment most effective.
This type of cancer is diagnosed in stages and grades. The stage is used to mark the location of the cancer and the grade is to determine the progression of the cancer by the size of the prostate. In addition to your primary doctor, a Urologist will be the doctor you will see to get tested or for treatment if you do have the disease. A Urologist is a doctor who specializes in the Urinary track and male reproductive system .
There are also two kinds of prostate disease in addition to prostate cancer. They are Benign Prostate Hyperplasia and Prostatitis . The Benign Prostate Hyperplasia is a no cancerous enlargement of the prostate, it is very common and it does not show any kind of systems. Prostatitis is the inflammation of the prostate , this is caused by an infection.
Each of these including prostate cancer has basically the same symptoms. Common in all three are difficulty in urinating, frequent pain while urinating and pain and burning. In Benign Prostate Hyperplasia a symptom also includes a weak urine flow . In Prostatitis includes chills and a fever. Prostate cancer has additional symptoms such as weak urine flow, painful ejaculation, blood in either the sperm or urine and pain the back, hips or thighs.
Once you are diagnosed there are several different treatments available all depending on the grade and stage that you are at. There is Chemotherapy, Radiation, Radical Prostatectomy ( removal of the prostate ), Surgery and Hormone Therapy.
You can overcome prostate cancer with treatment and with proper diet and exercise and most importantly early detection you can lead a normal cancer free life.
This type of cancer is diagnosed in stages and grades. The stage is used to mark the location of the cancer and the grade is to determine the progression of the cancer by the size of the prostate. In addition to your primary doctor, a Urologist will be the doctor you will see to get tested or for treatment if you do have the disease. A Urologist is a doctor who specializes in the Urinary track and male reproductive system .
There are also two kinds of prostate disease in addition to prostate cancer. They are Benign Prostate Hyperplasia and Prostatitis . The Benign Prostate Hyperplasia is a no cancerous enlargement of the prostate, it is very common and it does not show any kind of systems. Prostatitis is the inflammation of the prostate , this is caused by an infection.
Each of these including prostate cancer has basically the same symptoms. Common in all three are difficulty in urinating, frequent pain while urinating and pain and burning. In Benign Prostate Hyperplasia a symptom also includes a weak urine flow . In Prostatitis includes chills and a fever. Prostate cancer has additional symptoms such as weak urine flow, painful ejaculation, blood in either the sperm or urine and pain the back, hips or thighs.
Once you are diagnosed there are several different treatments available all depending on the grade and stage that you are at. There is Chemotherapy, Radiation, Radical Prostatectomy ( removal of the prostate ), Surgery and Hormone Therapy.
You can overcome prostate cancer with treatment and with proper diet and exercise and most importantly early detection you can lead a normal cancer free life.
Breast Cancer : Explained in Detail
Introduction
Breast Cancer is a form of cancer that occurs in the breast tissue. Although the breast is made up of similar tissues in both males and females, breast cancer occurs mostly in females.
Causes
Like other cancers, breast cancer is an uncontrollable growth of breast cells, and is caused due to the mutation of certain genes present in your breast cells. This mutation can either be genetically inherited, i.e. it might have come from your parents, or it happened during changes in your body, like aging or due to life in general. Breast Cancer can also occur due to hormonal changes in the body, like during menopause.
Types of Breast Cancer
Breast Cancers can be divided into four types based on the location they occur and whether it is a local one or not.
1. Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, or DCIS
2. Lobular Carcinoma in situ or LCIS
3. Invasive Ductal Carcinoma or IDC
4. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma or ILC
Breast Cancer normally occurs either in the milk duct (Ductal), or in the lobules (Lobular) or glands that make milk. Both can either be ?in situ?, meaning it remains where it started and does not spread, or it may be ?invasive?, meaning it spreads into the surrounding tissues. Carcinoma is a word used for any cancer that begins in the skins or tissues covering internal organs.
Early Detection
There are no ways to prevent breast cancer. However, breast cancer can be treated effectively if it is detected in an early stage. Self Breast Examination for lumps and unusual changes should be carried out each month, preferably at the same time each month to minimize effects of menstruation. A clinical breast examination should be done once every year from ages 29 - 39, and once every year from the age of 40.
Diagnosis
Primary diagnosis is done using mammography, an x-ray of the breast. If breast cancer is suspected or diagnosed, this is followed by MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and PET Scans.
Treatment
The main form of treatment used for Breast Cancer is surgery. Depending on the size of the tumour, it can be lumpectomy, also known as breast conserving surgery, where only the tumour is removed, or mastectomy, where the entire breast is removed. Both forms of surgery are usually followed by radiotherapy, which is a form of treatment by exposure to radiation, to stop the cancer from spreading. Another major form of treatment is chemotherapy, where treatment is done through various forms of drugs. These drugs interfere with the growth of cancer cells, and thus help curing cancer. Breast cancer can also be treated using hormone therapy, using chemicals to stop activities of certain hormones. Hormone therapy can only be used if the cancer cells are responsive to hormones, and have varied side effects, ranging from vaginal dryness and weak bones to infertility. Even after effective removal of Breast Cancer, patients should be in constant touch with the physician to make sure that the cancer does not return.
Breast Cancer is a form of cancer that occurs in the breast tissue. Although the breast is made up of similar tissues in both males and females, breast cancer occurs mostly in females.
Causes
Like other cancers, breast cancer is an uncontrollable growth of breast cells, and is caused due to the mutation of certain genes present in your breast cells. This mutation can either be genetically inherited, i.e. it might have come from your parents, or it happened during changes in your body, like aging or due to life in general. Breast Cancer can also occur due to hormonal changes in the body, like during menopause.
Types of Breast Cancer
Breast Cancers can be divided into four types based on the location they occur and whether it is a local one or not.
1. Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, or DCIS
2. Lobular Carcinoma in situ or LCIS
3. Invasive Ductal Carcinoma or IDC
4. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma or ILC
Breast Cancer normally occurs either in the milk duct (Ductal), or in the lobules (Lobular) or glands that make milk. Both can either be ?in situ?, meaning it remains where it started and does not spread, or it may be ?invasive?, meaning it spreads into the surrounding tissues. Carcinoma is a word used for any cancer that begins in the skins or tissues covering internal organs.
Early Detection
There are no ways to prevent breast cancer. However, breast cancer can be treated effectively if it is detected in an early stage. Self Breast Examination for lumps and unusual changes should be carried out each month, preferably at the same time each month to minimize effects of menstruation. A clinical breast examination should be done once every year from ages 29 - 39, and once every year from the age of 40.
Diagnosis
Primary diagnosis is done using mammography, an x-ray of the breast. If breast cancer is suspected or diagnosed, this is followed by MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and PET Scans.
Treatment
The main form of treatment used for Breast Cancer is surgery. Depending on the size of the tumour, it can be lumpectomy, also known as breast conserving surgery, where only the tumour is removed, or mastectomy, where the entire breast is removed. Both forms of surgery are usually followed by radiotherapy, which is a form of treatment by exposure to radiation, to stop the cancer from spreading. Another major form of treatment is chemotherapy, where treatment is done through various forms of drugs. These drugs interfere with the growth of cancer cells, and thus help curing cancer. Breast cancer can also be treated using hormone therapy, using chemicals to stop activities of certain hormones. Hormone therapy can only be used if the cancer cells are responsive to hormones, and have varied side effects, ranging from vaginal dryness and weak bones to infertility. Even after effective removal of Breast Cancer, patients should be in constant touch with the physician to make sure that the cancer does not return.
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