Cancer Data Base

Cure cancer with Yourself

2010-12-26T07:47:00.001-08:00

What is cancer?
Cancer is a serious disease that can sometimes cause death if not treated. There are many forms of cancer. Breast cancer, bladder cancer and lung cancer is a common cancer. Cancer usually begins when abnormal cells grow out of control.
How does cancer affect my life!
I lost my aunt a few years ago due to a long battle with cancer. He received treatment and the doctor gave her clean bill of health after cancer removal. Nearly 10 years passed, during my aunt happy, energetic and just loves life. Until one day he returned to the news-check, worse, they discovered that the cancer had reappeared. That was the turning point of my aunts lived. I certainly can remember the sick and bed ridden.He tubes everywhere. She can not bathe themselves. They said. Shortly after re-diagnosed, my aunt died in the summer of 1996. It was then that I dedicated to cancer research. I know that road. I want to teach themselves how to cure cancer.
I dedicate myself and through my research I have been able to help others. Despite what the doctors tell you, cure the cancer itself is not possible. Take it from me, I know, I could save my mother's life. If you know someone who battle cancer, I encourage you to call the resources to treat cancer Read Yourself. Check it out

Curing Cancer Diet Foods you should eat and foods to avoid

2010-12-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

The main reason why so much cancer today is because our diets have changed before that he had not changed for thousands of years. Wrong diet is the single factor most important in the development of all cancers. While the cancer may be difficult to overcome for some people, do not need the death penalty. The answer is to "heal yourself with our natural food becomes your medicine as food therapy plays an important role in the cure for cancer. Food is our medicine and nature has equipped us with an amazing array of fruit and vegetables are good to protect us from cancer and possibly also vice versa .

Cancer is just a lack of disease, because the deficit is allowed to develop cancer. What is needed to heal is a little self control by making changes in our diet to consume food that stimulates our desire that causes cancer, eating foods that nourish the body that make us healthy. That's the only real way to permanently remove the cancer. Today we no longer grow our own food, a person does that for us and most of these foods in western societies is available in supermarkets. Even more importantly, most of these foods are not processed and processed foods that lack nutrients.

There are close links between cancer and diet of processed foods. People who do not eat health experts, they are business people for one U.S. dollar to make and no matter how they are doing. They lace their food with added chemicals and preservatives so it lasts longer and is to maximize profits. We might think we eat healthier because information on the container and while some aspects of food labeling is regulated, most of what the label is pure marketing. Manufacturers of food is always emphasized that the good and ignore the negative to trick you into buying their product. This is a western society we have created our processed foods, and then we advertise that our faith should we all when in fact give us obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, a disease that does not use 40 to 50 years ago.

It is often mistakenly believe that we are smarter than nature, and we can take food and make it better. No matter what it says on the package, we can not, we can not fix nature. With this in mind, the best foods to cure cancer is to achieve is that fresh food grown, not processed in any form, is not included, and, if possible, is organic produce.

How a healthy diet designed to handle the increased power of the immune system, our built-in system improvements and strengthened the immune system to strengthen the body to attack cancer cells and remove them safely and without side effects. It works for all cancers and in every part of the body. What you do is right the reason why the cancer first appeared, which is very important.

Typical Western diet is not known for providing quality health care because a lot of mistakes. They are too much salt, too much refined sugar, and processed foods too much, too much fat is wrong and too many chemical additives. State of every cell in our body is controlled by the foods we eat and if your diet consists mainly of foods that have been processed, then that is conducive to cancer.

refined sugar, in particular, should be completely eliminated as it was discovered a few years ago is the main source of energy for cancer cells. Unfortunately at this time, refined sugars found in many foods in the diet of modern humans

Mouth Cancer Operation - Video

2010-12-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

Mouth Cancer well known as Buccal Mucosa in Scientific Language. Here is a operational treatment video. It includes how the mouth, jaw is slit open and the infection is scraped out and then the mouth and jaw is sticthed back.

Understanding the Direct Relationship Between your Diet and Cancer

2010-08-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Although the impact is difficult to measure, it is evident that diet is a factor when considering most, if not all types of cancer. Furthermore, diet may also be effective in preventing cancer. There is no concrete explanation of the relationship between cancer and your diet; however it would be obviously beneficial to maintain a well-balanced and nutritious diet. The insight regarding the diet- cancer link first appeared in 1913. Until recently, the phenomenon had been amazingly ignored. The scientist became involved, mainly with the assistance of animals, to determine the relationship. Coincidently, the risk for cancer will certainly decrease if you were to consistently eat healthy meals as well as take vitamin and/or mineral supplements. It is extremely important to live a healthy lifestyle.

There are obvious techniques that people should live by such as regular screening and self-exams that is crucial for identifying potential cancer cells. Healthcare physicians recommend that you actively practice these techniques, yet you must also obtain knowledge of the risk factors that contribute to cancer. For many years, the National Cancer Institute has promoted a program that encourages Americans to eat more fruit and vegetables. Unfortunately, 60%-70% of cancer is the result of dietary risk factors. Extensive research has also concluded that one-third of cancer deaths within the United States are due to nutritional factors.

The suggested risk factors include being overweight or obese, having a low intake of fruits and vegetables, low physical activity and smoking or alcohol abuse. Therefore, cancer is believed to be related and associated with an individual’s lifestyle. Specifically, the American Cancer Society has estimated that women who are 40% or more over the ideal body weight have a 55% greater cancer risk. Contrarily, the men who are 40% over weight have a 33% greater risk. Ironically, it has been noted that cancer occurs at different rates in different countries. This merely suggests that people from different countries have different eating patterns.

No matter what the consensus is on the relationship between diet and cancer, fiber is actually agreed upon as one of the most important preventive measure to cancer. With an increase in fiber intake, it is possible to consume less fat and calories. The fiber-rich foods enhances the intensity of our diets and contributes to satiety. You are able to obtain fiber in a variety of ways. Fiber is found in vegetables, fruits and grains. These items are discharged in two categories: soluble and insoluble. Ideally, it is recommended to increase the intake of breads, cereals, legumes (beans and peas) and of course, more fruits and vegetables.

Although it is highly sensitive at this point, the American Institute for Cancer Research has identified foods that are promising for preventing cancer. First of all, the institute suggests that beans and legumes may lower risk of prostate, breast and pancreatic cancer. Berries are expected to lower the risk of skin, bladder, and lung or breast cancer. More over, the cruciferous vegetables possibly lower the contingency for lung, stomach, colorectal, prostate and bladder cancer. Cancer of the bladder, colon, stomach, pancreas and esophagus may be prevented by consuming green tea. Finally, prostate cancer may be avoided by eating tomatoes. Additionally, it is suggested by the American Institute for Cancer Research that consuming whole grains may lower the risks for all cancers.

In conclusion, there are five dietary guidelines that may save your life from Cancer. It is recommended that you eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. And again, you should eat high fiber foods to include limiting the fat intake. You should always stay or become physically fit. Last, but not least, limit the consumption of alcohol. Bottom line, improving your diet and overall lifestyle generally protects your body against cancer.

Cancer – One in Two Men and One in Three Women Will Get It. What to Do?

2010-08-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

There is nothing that puts more fear in people than a diagnosis of Cancer. Statistically speaking, we now have one in two chances (male) or one in three chances (female) of getting cancer before the end of our life (American Cancer Society statistics for the year 2003). At the beginning of the 20th century, statistics gave us one in 500 chances of getting cancer.

All cancers considered, if you have a primary cancer (in one location only) the most optimistic statistics only give you 28% chances of recovery. If you have metastatic cancer (in more than one location) then your chances of recovery are 0.1% or in other words, one chance in one thousand to recover – (statistics from Dr Philip Binzel book “Alive and Well” published by American Media).

The news is bleak to say the least. However, as we will see later on, this need not be the case.

Ever since I can remember, I have read newspaper articles, heard claims on TV or radio, reporting new “wonder” cures on the war against cancer. Victory against this terrible disease was, according to these reports, just around the corner. Why is it then that so many people are still dying from this disease? Are the 600 UK cancer charities (The largest UK charities being Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Cancer Research Campaign and Institute of Cancer Research) lying to us?

The “American Cancer Society” is the richest charity in the world. All debts paid, it would still have half a billion dollars in the bank!

Linus Pauling, the winner of two Nobel prizes, seemed to think so when he said: “Everyone should know that most cancer research is largely a fraud and that the major cancer research organisations are derelict in their duties to the people who support them.”

What is Cancer?

Modern researchers have for many years been exploring the virus connection at a cost of billions of dollars and pounds. The pitiful result is that “no cancer that was incurable 25 years ago is curable today and that, for the most common cancers that kills 90% of patients today chemotherapy is no better than snake oil” (The Cancer Handbook. What Doctors don’t tell you publication. By Lynne Taggart).

When you are diagnosed with cancer, what the doctor is really saying is that you have one or several tumours in your body and that at least one of the tumours contains some cancer cells. They see the tumours as the enemy that has to be fought and destroyed and all their efforts are directed against eradicating the tumours.

What is a tumour though? A tumour is only a symptom; it shows that something has gone wrong in your body and that your immune system is no longer available to fight it. Many researchers claim that we all have tumours in our body and that several times in our life we get cancer. However, we do not all die from cancer. The reason is that our body’s defence mechanism spring into action when a tumour is formed and gets rid of it or at least neutralises it. If cancer cells are beginning to form, these are killed off by our immune system and all is back to normal.

However if for some reason our immune system is severely deficient and we are unable to fight off the formation of the cancerous cells, then disease spreads.

What needs to be done to fight the tumour is not so much to remove it (surgery), burn it (radiation) or poison it (chemotherapy) as all these will weaken our immune system (damaging both our liver and kidneys to a point where it is difficult for our body to fight off any health problem). But to find out why the tumour formed in the first place and remove the cause.

Fighting it according to Dr Binzel is no good, our body now has in its memory the recipe to form tumours and uses the negative ingredients we feed it with to form new tumours and it will rarely stop doing so unless we remove the cause. The lack of positive ingredients (Vitamins, minerals and essential enzymes) to fight off the tumour is just as important.

Let me compare this reasoning with the simple example of a tooth infection. There is no point in taking painkillers to fix the tooth. I grant you that they will probably relieve the pain but I profess that they will not cure the tooth. What needs to be done is to get rid of the infection with antibiotics or have the tooth removed.

What do cancer cells feed on?

Several factors such as diet, negative emotions/ stress and environmental toxins are usually responsible for the development of cancer. Dietary speaking, cancer cells need food to survive. Dr Otto Warburg received the Nobel Prize for scientifically proving that cancer feed from the fermentation of sugar:

“in cancer cells [the feeding] is replaced by an energy-yielding reaction of the lowest living forms; namely, a fermentation of glucose” (quoted in prevention – May 1968).

According to Macrobiotic medicine theory, cancer cells also feed on animal protein (all types of meat, especially chicken but also very much on dairy, eggs etc..)

Detecting cancer

Currently, surgeons often perform a biopsy when cancer is suspected. A biopsy is a way of extracting a quantity of matter from a tumour and test it to see if it is cancerous. The problem with this method is that if the tumour is cancerous and the tumour is punctured, there is a definite risk that the cancerous liquid will spread to surrounding cells and spread the cancer around the body (Roger Delin – medical analyst – Philippines.

Breast cancer is often diagnosed using a mammogram. The main manufacturer of mammographic equipment is a company called “Smarlight Mammographics”. They state: “We expected error rates to be around 30%, but the wide range of results (10%-90%) was an eye-opener.” Amazing admission from the largest manufacturer of what is considered as the ultimate test to detect breast cancer. Unbelievable !

It is interesting to learn that autopsies have shown that many undetected cancers were present in the body of people who died from other causes. This makes a mockery of medical statistics and confirms that in fact a substantial number of cancers are never detected and do not obligatorily cause death.

A Swedish study has revealed that 15% of major cancers were not revealed before death and around half were of a type normally considered fatal (ref: wddty).

Modern approach and progress on cancer

The modern approach to treat cancer is surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormones and immunotherapy. The percentage of oncologists (cancer doctors) who would not participate in chemotherapy trials is an alarming 75% (due to its toxicity).

Walking tall, the 6-year-old girl whose cancer was cured in three hours

2010-08-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Recovering: Darya Egorova had faced the threat of having her leg amputated

Diagnosed with bone cancer, Darya Egorova faced the very real threat of having a leg amputated.

Less than a year later though, the six-year-old is back on her feet and free of the disease - thanks to a revolutionary procedure that took only three hours.

She has become the first person in Britain to have a cancerous bone removed, treated with very high doses of radiotherapy and reinserted all in the same hospital.

Her family, who are from Russia, were distraught when they were told the options available in their home country for their daughter, who loves sport and dancing.

But a charity stepped in to fund the new procedure in Britain.

Last night Darya's mother Irina, 41, said: 'Given the surgical options my daughter was offered outside the UK, what surgeons have done is truly a miracle.

'We came here full of fear but we received such kindness and generosity from the British people. We are eternally grateful.'

Darya was able to attempt to walk with crutches only two days after the operation, and left hospital within a week. Until now, doctors have had to send bone tumours by motorbike to another hospital to be treated before putting them back.

Now, the Harley Street Clinic in London has the facilities to carry out the full operation in one place. The move shortens the procedure by at least an hour and means less risk of complications and pain.

Darya, who was diagnosed with cancer last autumn, could have had the tumour removed in Russia-but this would have meant a larger piece of bone being removed, leaving her ankle immobile.

The £70,000 operation was funded by Russian cancer charity Grant Life.

Four inches of bone - including a two-inch tumour - was removed from the shin bone of her lower right leg. After half an hour, it was replaced without the tumour.

Over the next two years, healthy bone will grow through the dead bone and bring it back to life.

Praise for Daily Mail cancer article

2010-08-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

The Daily Mail often gets it in the neck for its alarmist stories and features on cancer. (There's even a Facebook group listing its many tales).

But the latest Mail article on the subject, What REALLY raises the risk of breast cancer? We asked an expert to weigh up the evidence on the various theories has been praised by the World Cancer Research Fund.

WCRF's head of communications, Richard Evans, pays tribute to the Mail for running an "informative piece that will hopefully make a real difference in giving women the information they need to reduce their breast cancer risk."

It followed a WCRF press release revealing that UK breast cancer rates are four times higher than those in eastern Africa.

Evans says the Mail "worked with our colleagues at Cancer Research UK to look at different lifestyle factors that have been reported as increasing breast cancer risk."

The resulting article "gets across the message that women can reduce their breast cancer risk by maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active, reducing the amount of alcohol they drink and breastfeeding their children."

Sources: WCRF blog/Daily Mail

Multi Vitamins For Women Increase Risk of Breast Cancer

2010-06-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

We've all heard (time and time again) that a daily vitamin is important in ensuring your body gets the nutrients it needs. One each day is supposed to help improve your overall health and protect against heart disease, perhaps even cancer. Now, a new observational study suggests that this "healthy" habit might actually increase your risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in U.S. women, though the rates have fallen in recent years.

This latest research involved more than 35,000 Swedish women (aged 49-83) who were cancer free and filled out a self-administered questionnaire that asked for information on multivitamin use and other breast cancer risk factors.

The women reported their own use of vitamins, though they didn't provide any information on what brand they took. During the ten years of follow up, 974 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, 293 of these happened to the 9,017 women who said they took multivitamins daily.

The team found that women who reported taking vitamins each day were 19% more likely to have breast cancer than those who didn't take any multivitamin. These findings held even after adjustments were made for things like family history, getting older, body mass index, smoking and alcohol use.

There are lots of multivitamins on the market today. These preparations typically include 3 or more vitamins and dietary minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc) as well as some other nutritional elements.

You can find multivitamins in many forms... tablets, capsules, pastilles, powders and liquid... so you can choose the one that's right for you. Your doctor will tell you that you should never buy a multivitamin that has more of a nutrient than your body can take in - more is not better. Never take more than directed on the label as you risk serious, potentially life-threatening, side effects.

So... how can something that's supposed to be good for you, be trouble?

The researchers aren't sure, but theorize the folic acid that's part of many multivitamin products might increase breast density, and this might stimulate the development of cancer. Other work has linked iron and zinc to increased cancer risk, though there have been studies that showed no association - so the question is still open for debate.

The new research also found that vitamin C, B-6 and E didn't appear to have any impact on breast cancer risk. Calcium, in fact, seems to offer some protection against breast cancer.

Getting essential vitamins from your diet is the best way to give your body the nutrients it needs. If you have concerns about your nutritional status, talk to your doctor about the foods you eat, and the ones you avoid. You might think about taking supplements that address specific deficiencies, instead of a multivitamin that gives you lots of things, many of which you might not even need.

Workplace May Increase Risk of Breast Cancer

2010-06-21T10:03:00.003-07:00

Important news for women - being exposed to chemicals and pollutants before her mid 30s may greatly increase a woman's risk of breast cancer after she goes through menopause according to a new study. The research involved 556 postmenopausal Canadian women who'd been diagnosed with cancer of the breast between the ages of 50 and 75 years old. There was also a control group of 613 women of the same age group, who were free of breast cancer.

The team measured the women's occupational exposure to almost 300 substances. After accounting for the usual factors linked with an increase risk of breast cancer, the team found a link between breast cancer and some of these substances.

The risk of breast cancer after menopause was highest in the women who'd been exposed to these substances before 36 years old.

The risk went up for each added decade of exposure before this age. So twenty years of exposure... say starting in the teens, would be expected to double a woman's risk.

The exposure to acrylic fibers at work had a seven fold increase risk of cancer of the breast. The risk was almost double among those exposed to nylon fibers. Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (in petroleum products) before the age of 36 tripled the risk of breast cancer according to the study authors.

These finding are consistent with the thinking that the tissue of the breast is more sensitive to harmful chemicals if the exposure occurs when the breast cells are still active - before a woman reaches her 40s. This is also thought to be a factor in the increases in cancer of the breast in developed countries.

The incidence of breast cancer in the United States is one in eight, about 13%, or 13 out of every 100 women over the course of a lifetime.

Your own personal risk may be higher or lower, depending on family history, reproductive history, lifestyle and environment. Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most often diagnosed cancer in American women - one in four cancers are of the breast. As of 2008, there are almost 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. alone.

Experts commenting on the study do express caution. Positive associations like those found between chemical exposure and cancer of the breast can appear just by chance, and will only carry serious weight when supported by evidence from later research. The team also calls for more detailed studies that focus on specific chemicals in terms of risk for breast cancer.

To reduce your risk of breast cancer, whether you've been exposed to any of the substances identified in the research or not, here are some things you can do for yourself...

- Control your weight - being overweight, especially after menopause, increases your risk. More fat in the body produces more estrogen, which is what increases the risk of cancer developing and growing.

- Eat healthy - while no food can keep you from getting cancer of the breast, eating well can make your body strong and healthy, keeping your risk as low as possible. It's a good idea to limit red and processed meats and animal fats (fat in cheese, ice cream and milk). A diet that's low in fat, loaded with fruits and veggies is generally a good bet.

- Exercise - doing 45 to 60 minutes of physical activity on five or more days of the week is key, and evidence is growing that this can reduce your risk of cancers.

- Limit alcohol consumption

- Don't smoke

- Limit stress/anxiety - while there isn't clear proof stress/anxiety can increase your breast cancer risk, anything you do to reduce stress and make your life better plus make your immune system stronger will help.

- Estrogen exposure - through being overweight, drinking too much or taking combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

- Recent oral contraceptive use - using these medications may slightly increase your risk of breast cancer, but only for a short time. If you've stopped taking birth control pills more than ten years ago, you don't appear to have any increase risk.

What Kind of Radiation Should You Choose After Lumpectomy For Breast Cancer?

2010-06-21T10:03:00.001-07:00

Just a quarter of a century ago, almost all patients had mastectomy, even if their breast cancer is small. But over the past few decades, it has been demonstrated that for small cancers, lumpectomy followed by radiation treatment is just as good as mastectomy, at preventing breast cancer recurrence. Traditional proven radiation is external beam radiation directed to the entire involved breast for 6-7 weeks, 5 days a week (M Tu W Th F). Depending on the size and extent of the cancer, radiation may include the chest wall and axilla (armpit) on the same side as the involved breast. In some cases, the area treated may also include on the same side supraclavicular lymph nodes (nodes above the collarbone) and internal mammary lymph nodes (nodes beneath the breast bone near the center of the chest).

Recently, some patients with very early small cancers may consider Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI). Instead of treating the whole breast, APBI only delivers radiation to the focal location of the lumpectomy site. This is because most recurrences occur at or near the site of previous cancer. Currently, the most commonly used regimen involves only 5 days of radiation total. A balloon is inserted into the lumpectomy site, in the office with local anesthesia. On the fifth and final day of radiation, the balloon is pulled out. The most established model Mammosite has been used in more than 35,000 women in the United States, and results with 4-year followup data have been good. Despite its convenience, APBI is not for everybody. Some general guidelines exist to determine who is "suitable" for APBI as of 2010. As we gain more knowledge with longer use of this treatment modality, the guidelines may change in the future. The "appropriate" criteria are: patient age 50 or more, unifocal (single) cancer, invasive cancer size no more than 2cm, pure DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) no more than 3cm, total tumor size (invasive and DCIS) no more than 3cm, margins clean of tumor, no lymphovascular invasion seen under microscope, and no cancer spread to lymph nodes. Women with hereditary breast cancer, such as BRCA 1/2 carriers, should not consider APBI.

The above are only general guidelines. Again, it should be emphasized that traditional whole breast radiation is an established treatment with much longer track record than APBI. No two breast cancer patients are exactly alike, and therefore the decision making process is different and unique for each individual person. Regardless of any one else's advice, you should make the choice that you personally will be able to live with for the rest of your life.

Critical Background You Need to Know About Breast Cancer

2010-06-21T10:02:00.001-07:00

Breast cancer is a disease that affects both men and women. Most people don't know that men can get cancer of the breast, too. Breast cancer is not just one disease but a little group of diseases with cells growing out of control. Just about all tumors are really clumps of abnormal cells. Tumor cells often break off and go some other place to form; this is called metastasis (spreading). Even cancer of the breast can spread to other parts of the body.

Tumor size alone does not mean that it is or isn't cancer. Even the smallest tumor can be cancerous and the truth is that by the time a lump is big enough to be found, it has probably been there several years already, growing. Once the body's immune system can no longer handle the cells in the body, the cancer grows out of control and begins to destroy. Today's cancer treatments are based on reducing the cancer cells.

The risks for cancer of the breast include: gender, age, family medical history, ethnic background, alcohol use, weight gain, sedentary life, toxic exposure. There are some that can't be changed like: sex, age, family history, and first period before age 12.

Are there warning signs for breast cancer? Yes; nipple discharge, inverted nipples, and Paget's disease of the breast. Mostly there are no warning signs because early breast cancer doesn't have any pain.

There is more than one type of cancer of the breast, including something called inflammatory breast cancer. Noninvasive cancer of the breast is a cancer that is encapsulated and has not spread. Invasive breast cancer has already begun to spread to other spots in the body. Inflammatory cancer of the breast starts when cancer cells block lymph glands and cells. It causes inflammation of the breast and makes it swollen and tender. It can be mistaken for a breast infection and possibly be overlooked until it has developed more.

Male cancer of the breast is more common in the older men and usually is noticed with a lump in the breast.

The National Cancer Institute is trying to develop a vaccine against breast cancer. It would only be effective in preventing a new cancer from developing. Tests have recently been developed to be able to genetically determine if a person is or isn't prone to cancer of the breast. These would be the people first chosen to be vaccinated.

Many new treatments have been developed in recent years. There have been new types of chemotherapy and radiation treatments developed that don't have the devastating side effects of previous ones.

Early detection through mammograms and special breast scans has saved many thousands of women from death. It is now recommended that women who have a family risk factor get their first mammogram at least by age 30. Government agencies may try to change the recommendations but women must insist on guarding their lives by testing for early detection.

Hearing a biopsy that comes back as positive for cancer of the breast is a devastating sentence for a woman.

Breast Cancer Awareness Pt 1 - Tips For Breast Cancer Prevention

2010-06-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

Breast cancer is a terribly frightening illness, that is why taking cautious steps to breast cancer prevention is very important. Worldwide, 1 woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 29 seconds and every 75 seconds 1 woman in the world dies from breast cancer. This is the condition most women fear more than any other disease. This is largely because they think there is nothing they can do about it; they feel powerless and do not understand the power of today's prevention strategies.

Most women know if they want to reduce their risk of osteoporosis they can get enough calcium in their diet they can get some exercise or get enough vitamin D; if they want to reduce the risk of a heart attack they can make sure their cholesterol is not too high and they can also get some exercise. But most women do not think there is anything at all that they can do to help prevent breast cancer but the good news is that is there heaps they can do in efforts to breast cancer prevention. For example make sure that you get enough vitamin D in your body. Vitamin can help reduce the risk of several types of cancers, such as Prostate cancer, Colon cancer, Lung cancer.

Every time our skin is exposed to sunlight the cholesterol in our skin is converted into vitamin D, but for the average person who works indoors they do not manufacture enough vitamin D in their body. You can ask your doctor to do a blood test on you to measure the amount of vitamin D and most people are actually deficient.

If you have dark skin you are going to need to spend more time outdoors than a fair-skinned person will to receive enough sunlight to produce and efficient amount of vitamin D. if you use sun screen this will inhibit your body from being able to produce vitamin D. It is important not to get sun burned, however please remember that some sunlight is vitally important for good health because of vitamin D.

Women who are vitamin D deficient at the time of being diagnosed with breast cancer are 94% more likely to have their cancer spread and they are 73% more likely to die from breast cancer in the next 10 years than women who are not vitamin D deficient. So vitamin D is a vital instrument when it comes to protecting yourself against this disease.

Interestingly, overweight people are commonly vitamin D deficient because it is a fat soluble vitamin; this means the vitamin ends up being stored in their body fat and not their bloodstream where they need it.

Environmental chemicals are a known potential cause of this condition. According to the Silent Spring Institute, in the USA a total number of 216 different chemicals and radiation sources are internationally recognized as causing breast cancer. Have a look at the kind of chemicals you have around your home and chemicals you put on your body; moisturizers, perfumes, shampoo, cosmetics, toiletries, personal care products, insecticides, and cleaning chemicals. A lot of these things contain chemicals called endocrine disrupters or oestrogen mimics. They actually behave like oestrogen in your body; they have a very powerful effect. Oestrogen in excess can fuel the growth of breast tumors.

When it comes to breast cancer prevention you have to stay on top of your game. Not knowing can how to reduce the risk is no excuse because the information is widely available.

What Counts Most When Losing Weight, Reduction in Fats Or Carbohydrates?

2010-06-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

During the last thirty years we have blamed various food groups as the problem in weight gain, from starches in foods, breads and lately the fats. The food you consume contains nutrients, fat, carbohydrates and protein. To the surprise of many it is not the amount of food you eat that causes weight gain, but when one of the nutrients plays havoc chemically with our body. The key to weight loss is to eliminate foods that are at fault. Today it is possible, there are so many specialized and varied foods on the market that will have reduced or eliminated the nutrient that is causing the problem.

Many believe fat is the cause of are weight gain. It is broken down into triglycerides and is stored in fat cells by the body. The fat is burned very slowly and only after all other sources of energy are used. This works against weight loss and can lead to heart problems and cancer. Fat is very dense, contains more than 9 calories per gram, twice that of carbohydrates or protein. If we replace it with carbohydrates or protein we can lose weight. Reducing your fat intake will reduce calories. Studies have shown that diets low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol lower blood cholesterol levels lowering the risk of heart disease. The foods we eat today all have labels on them showing the various ingredients so that we can make a wise choice. We should not try to eliminate fat completely because it does provide the body with many vitamins that aid in the absorption of nutrients. There are good and bad fats and ones from vegetable oils and fatty fish are considered necessary.

Some people believe carbohydrates that are consumed in large quantities are the problem. Carbohydrates can make us fat because they force the body to over produce insulin. To keep our blood sugar at optimum levels, the body converts blood glucose from carbohydrates into fat and pushes them into fat cells. It can also prevent the cells from releasing the fat for energy. The carbohydrates can make the body overproduce insulin, our blood sugar goes down and our body tells us to eat more as a result. If the food we intake is a carbohydrate than the cycle of fat retention begins again. We become resistant to insulin and gain weight. The answer is to cut back significantly on carbohydrate use and you will notice a quick weight loss. Over the last twenty years the amount of carbohydrates in our diet along with the percent of calories from them has increased. Much has come from sweetened fruit juices and soft drinks. Interestingly our calorie intake has risen significantly but the calories derived from fat have decreased about 6 percent. That leads carbohydrates to be the problem in many diets. If we reduce carbohydrates our calorie count goes down which causes weight loss. Just like fat we do need some in our diet for energy. The sugar in these products or glucose is required to fuel different parts of the body. Many of these foods are nutritious but make sure you use ones that are low in fat to help your overall health.

The best way for a person to lose weight and to maintain it, is a healthy ratio of fats along with nutritious carbohydrates. Your diet should contain all food groups supplying you the essential vitamins and nutrients needed for a healthy lifestyle. For many it may mean change, which could be a drastic reduction in carbohydrates or fats in their new eating habits. Most people over consume carbohydrates but we are fortunate today in that most foods we purchase at the supermarket are labeled with the contents for us to read. This allows us to avoid foods that are high in carbohydrates or fats.

The author has been using fitness and diet techniques for over 20 years and has a Bsc from Boston University.

Experts back initiative to ensure fair treatment for older cancer patients

2010-06-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

A review of recently published research has uncovered significant differences in the standards of treatment of older cancer patients with haematological cancers. Many older cancer patients are not treated as aggressively as younger patients in Europe; experts believe that this is because of ageism, or age discrimination. By 2030, a third of the population will be over 65 years old and 60% of all cancers occur in this population; this figure is expected to increase to 70% in the next 20 years.^1,2

ecancermedicalscience announced today the launch of a public health initiative working with experts and patient groups to uncover the reasons why older cancer patients are not getting the treatments they deserve and to make recommendations that will ensure that patients get equal access to treatments, irrespective of age.

The initiative will raise awareness of the impact of social isolation and deprivation in the elderly on their cancer prognosis and the importance of the social care policies for older cancer patients. It will investigate whether we need to develop or adapt tools that assess biological age to assist treatment decisions and identify educational needs for physicians, carers and families to help better management. It will promote changes in clinical trial design, which at the moment typically include patients an average of 10 years younger than the actual patient population. This will be essential for developing the next generation of cancer clinical guidelines specifically for older patients.

Professor Mario Boccadoro, Department of Haematology, University of Torino, Italy, commented, “The situation in myeloma has totally changed. The newer drugs available are improving patient survival, but if you look at this survival according to age, it is in those under 60 years old. Patients over 75 years old are not started on the newer more tolerable treatments, so this improved survival is not seen in this age group yet. The cost to treat older patients in the same way would be no different, but their quality of life would be significantly better. I suspect the elderly are discriminated against.”

Professor Richard Sullivan (Kings Health Partners Integrated Cancer Centre, London), said: “We have to formulate cancer treatment guidelines for the elderly and educate so that these are used far wider than they are now. Clinical research also needs to be re-orientated to encompass the reality of clinical practice where we are seeing ever increasing numbers of elderly patients across the spectrum from the fittest to the most frail. We need more studies in the older patient population, we need assessment tools tailored to each type of cancer, and we need to develop multidisciplinary guidelines for the best treatment strategies based on biology of the patient and the status of their disease not their chronological age.”

Professor Gordon McVie, Managing Editor of ecancer, commented. “I am 65 years old this year. If I get diagnosed with cancer, I am worried that I might not get the treatment that I deserve, and my chances of getting cancer are going up every day. Cancer care of the elderly is a massive issue. No matter what your age, you deserve the best treatments. That’s why we at ecancer are taking on this initiative to ensure we can make a change.”

ecancermedicalscience will start the campaign by conducting a pan-European survey of oncologists and haematologists to explore the psychological and emotional reasons behind why older cancer patients are treated differently. The results of this survey will be published later this year.

Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL); how can we do better with fewer side effects?

2010-06-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) was one of the earliest cancers to be successfully treated with chemo/radiotherapy. Although successful, in the majority of patients, this form of therapy is associated with significant toxicity. A number of groups are investigating the possibility of reducing therapy, minimizing toxicity and maintaining a good outcome. A group from Koln (abs no333) will present evidence that 2 cycles, instead of 4, of the standard chemotherapy (ABVD) and a lower radiation dose (20Gy instead of 30Gy) are sufficient to achieve a similar rate of remission and prolonged survival with reduced toxicity.

Another study (abs no1628) demonstrates that all four components of the chemotherapy (ABVD) are necessary. Although the majority of patients are cured when diagnosed with early stage HL, a small proportion of patients does not respond and have a poorer outcome. For this subset of patients, an Italian group (abs no 73) using FDG-PET scanning (a way of scanning the cancer and measuring its metabolic activity) after 2 courses' is able to predict outcome. Therefore patients in the non-responsive group may have their treatment intensified to provide cure.

Multiple Myeloma; now a chronic disease

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the second most common blood cancer with an incidence of approximately 4-5 new cases per 100.000 people per year. In Europe there were estimated to be 31,883 new cases of MM and 21,677 MM-related deaths in 2002.

One of the major complications in MM is bone involvement by the cancer cells leading to pain and a risk of fractures. The Medical Research Council (MRC group from UK) will report on the benefit of the drug Zolendronic acid compared to Clodronate for the delay of bone disease and prolongation of survival.

Proteasomes are intracellular complexes that break down proteins. Proteasome inhibitors are new and potentially effective drugs in MM and the use one of these, Carfilzomib, in patients with relapsed or refractory MM will be discussed. The results of a large international trial employing classic chemotherapy with the addition of Lenalidomide, a class of drugs called immunomodulators (IMIDs), will be updated.

Italian and Dutch groups will discuss the role of genetic markers in predicting the clinical outcome, following specific treatments.

Maintenance therapy after autologous stem cell transplant remains a controversial issue. Data, derived from a large randomized trial, about the role of Thalidomide in this setting, will be presented. Finally the HOVON group will report on their experience with allogeneic stem cell transplant using a new treatment strategy.

New strategies for patients with Lymphoma

In spite of treatments, which include the humanized monoclonal anti-body Rituximab, a number of patients with a form of Lymphoma called Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLCBL) will relapse. Gisselbrecht et al (abs No 1059) demonstrate a critical role for autologous stem cell transplantation in the management of patients with relapsed DLBCL whose initial treatment included Rituximab.

Visani et al (abs no 469) demonstrate a potentially important role for a new drug, bendamustine, in patients with relapsed lymphoma. They identify a new, and well-tolerated, transplant regimen for evaluation in patients with high-risk lymphoma.

Ruggeri et al (abs no 1699) provide new data demonstrating an important role for umbilical cord blood transplantation in the management of high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. This approach may be important in treating children with high-risk ALL who lack a family (sibling) or unrelated stem cell donor.

Stadler et al (abs no 1817) explore the role of delayed donor lymphocyte infusion as a strategy for delivering curative immunotherapy in patients transplanted for high-risk leukemia. Their important study demonstrates an encouraging safety profile and a new approach to treatment.

Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT) and immunotherapy

The factors determining the numbers of stem cells mobilized by the cytokine GCSF in normal donors remain undetermined. Martin-Antonio et al (abs no 2096) have identified polymorphisms (inherited differences) in the stromal adhesion molecule VCAM-1, which has a significant impact on the numbers of CD34+ progenitor cells, collected after administration of GCSF. These data may assist in the identification of new stem cell collection strategies.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Jedema et al (abs no 680) have examined mechanisms of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Importantly they identify immunotherapeutic mechanism, which may contribute to the eradication of resistant leukemia stem cells, and potential mechanism of resistance.

Galski et al (abs no 1170) have examined mechanisms of resistance to TKIs in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. They identified a potential role for drugs, which modulate the activity of the multidrug transporter p glycoprotein in overcoming resistance to TKIs and immunotherapeutic killing by NK cells (a type of lymphocyte).

Novel Therapeutic Approaches

Berger et al (abs no 1693) demonstrate clinical activity of a new proteasome inhibitor MLN 9708 in preclinical models of high-risk lymphoma identifying a potentially new treatment modality in this common hematological malignancy in which drug resistance is frequently documented.

Granulocytes (White Cells)

An increased risk of malignant transformation (Myelodysplastic Syndrome, MDS, or Acute Myeloid leukemia, AML) is well documented in patients with congenital neutropenia (CN, people born with an abnormally low white cell count)). Zeidler et al (abs no 1765) identify molecular and clinical factors predicting the likelihood of development of MDS or AML.

Marks et al (abs no 2188) report important data identifying a potential benefit for the use of voriconazole (an anti-fungal drug) as primary prevention of systemic fungal infection in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

New Throat Cancer Treatment

2010-06-12T11:43:00.001-07:00

Throat cancer is one of the cancers which occur in the throat. This is disease is found with different names like vocal cord cancer, throat cancer, laryngeal cancer, cancer of the glottis. This is the cancer which is found in both men and women.

The throat cancer is the cancer which appears in the upper part of the throat. It is the cancer which appears in the throat that is vocal cords, voice box (larynx), or other areas of the throat. This cancer spreads not only occurs in the other parts of the throat also. This is cancer which can occur in both men and women. This cancer involves the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that have mutated from normal tissues. This growth can kill when these cells prevent normal function of vital organs or spread throughout the body, damaging essentials systems.
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This throat cancer has some alternate names like vocal cord cancer, laryngeal cancer, cancer of the glottis, cancer of the pharynx, vocal cord cancer and others. This cancer as it occurs to the throat and the parts related to it so it is named after it. This cancer also occurs when the normal cells undergo a transformation whereby they grow and multiply without normal controls. This cancer involves tumors on the tonsils, vocal cords, voice box (larynx) and at the base of the tongue.
The main cause for the exposure for this cancer is the consumption of the tobacco that plays a significant role in many of the cases. The causes for this cancer are the heavy smoking of cigarettes, chewing tobacco, excessive use of alcohol is also one of the causes for its occurrence. But if the man is addicted to both smoking and consuming alcohol then he is at higher risk of getting the disease. But this is more occurred in men than women. This disease can occur to any age but mainly occurs to the age group who is above 45 of age. This can be controlled with herbal products Some of the other factors for the occurrence of this cancer are the enlargement of the thyroid gland called chronic goiter. This cause may be due to the radiation exposure and the family history of cancer or the genetic predisposition.

The symptoms of the hoarseness, sore throat, neck pain, difficulty in swallowing, swelling in the neck, unintentional weight loss, cough, coughing up blood, abnormal breathing sounds, numbness or the paralyses of the muscles in the face, swelling of the jaw, shortness of breath, chest pain and many other reasons also. This cancer also has some of the common symptoms like fever, chills, night sweats, weight loss, loss of appetite, fatigue, malaise.
The above symptoms are not to be considered as a serious one as these may also be the causes for some of the common health upsets also. But if the person is adult then he has to undergo a medical checkup and have a take care of his health.
The signs and tests can be done when an examination of the neck and the throat may show the cancer of the throat. The symptom may appear bloody or lump on the throat which appears on the outside of the neck. Biopsy and the analysis of tissues that appear abnormal may conform the presence of the cancer tumor.
If you experience any of the above throat cancer symptoms it is advised that you see your healthcare provider for a more thorough check so the proper diagnose and treatment can be apply in the initial stage.
the best way of preventing this cancer is to quit smoking and preventing the consumption of tobacco. Many cancers can be prevented by avoiding risk factors such as excessive exposure to sunlight and heavy drinking. We should cultivate a habit of taking healthy diet that is the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits. Keeping the health fit by doing the exercises, meditation, yogasanas, cultivation of morning jog or walk, having the nutritious food in the diet, protecting ourselves from bad atmosphere may make us to be free from the diseases also.
Some people at high risk for developing certain cancers can take medication to reduce their risk. But yet the treatment must be aimed at destruction of the cancer and prevention of its spread to other parts of the body. The treatment of the cancer depends on certain issues like the age of the patient, general health condition, the size of the tumor, extent of the cancer and others.
This is the cancer which may be found at its advanced stage. So it is an urge need that the patient should be careful while choosing the correct physician for his treatment. This treatment is aimed at destruction of the cancer and prevention of spread of the cancer to the other parts of the body. The earlier it is diagnosed the earlier it is treated.
Treatment is aimed at destruction of the cancer and prevention of spread of the cancer to other parts of the body. The earlier throat cancer is diagnosed, the better the prospect of recovery. If the treatment is not given then it can grow and can cause to death. So it is better to get treated at its initial stage. The treatment needs long term recovery but if have a hope of conquering it then you can have it. You should be mentally firmed and be prepared to achieve in curing it.
The people who come to our center have a hope of curing the disease and becoming healthy. We support you with this attitude of yours as we use the alternative supplements which are natural and cure the disease with no side effects with miraculous improvements in your health condition. We make you feel ease and get away from your suffer.

Homeopathy Treatment for Prostate Cancer by Dr Harshad Raval Md Homeopathy India

2010-06-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Prostate cancer and homeopathy treatment.

Prostate cancer is an abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells that results in the formation of a tumor in the prostate gland. Prostate, the walnut sized gland, is a part of the reproductive system which lies deep in the pelvis. It is located in front of the rectum and underneath the urinary bladder and surrounds the urethra, (the urine tube running from the bladder, through the prostate and the penis). It contains gland cells that produce some of the seminal fluid, which protects and nourishes sperm cells in semen and supports the ejaculatory ducts, or sperm tubes. The prostate continues to grow till a man reaches adulthood and is maintained after it reaches normal size as long as male hormones are produced.

Prostate cancer begins most often in the outer part of the prostate. It is the most common cancer in men older than age 50. In most men, the cancer grows very slowly. In fact, many men with the disease will never know they have the condition. Early prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland itself, and the majority of patients with this type of cancer can live for years with no problems. In some cases, it may spread from the prostate to nearby lymph nodes, bones or other organs. This spread is called metastasis. Most Prostate cancers originate in the posterior prostate gland, the rest originate near the urethra. Often the disease has no symptoms until the disease is well advanced. However, as the tumor grows, it may spread from the prostate to surrounding areas like lymph nodes, bones or other organs. This may result in back pain. Men with prostate cancer may experience any of the following symptoms.

A need to urinate frequently, especially at night;
Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine;
Weak or interrupted flow of urine;
Painful or burning urination or bowel movement;
Difficulty in having an erection;
Painful ejaculation;
Blood in urine or semen; or
Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.

It is advised to consult a doctor immediately if you have experienced any of the above symptoms. Men aged 50 and above have the chances of developing prostate cancer. Those who have a family history of prostate cancer should consider screening at age 45.

Prostate cancer can be staged as ‘A,B,C,D’. Stage A and B cancers are curable. Stages C and D are treatable, but their prognoses are discouraging.

Stage A - This is the very early stage without any sysmtoms, in this stage cancer cells are confined to the prostate. It can be identified with PAS tests and Biopsy. This type of cancer is usually curable.

Stage B – In this stage, it is known that cancer is in several places within the prostate. It is detectable by PAS.

Stage C - In this stage, cancer cells can be found throughout the prostate as well as near by tissue or the bladder. This stage is determined by Digital Rectal Exam, or CT/ MRI scans, and/or Sonography. Some Stage C cancers are curable.

Stage D : At this stage, cancer has spread beyond the prostate and nearby lymph nodes, distant bones, organs such as liver, lungs and also to other tissues. This is usually determined by bone scan, Prostascint scan or other studies. Stage D cancer is not curable but treatable.

Treatment

Treatment depends on individual circumstances such as the man’s age and general health, extent of the cancer etc. Elderly patients with minor sysmptoms., early stage cancer, or coexisting illness may be treated conservatively.

There are many different ways to treat prostate cancer. It is advisable to get advise from two or more doctors before making a final decision about the treatment. Treatment includes Prostatectomy and Hormone Therapy or anti-antrogen drugs, Chemotherapy and Radio Therapy.

Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy, is used either alone or in combination with surgery or radiation. It is based on the fact that prostate cancer cells frequently use the male hormone , testosterone as a Fertilizer and the absence of this hormone may lead to the death or weakening of prostate cancer cells. So It is used to stop the production of testosterone hormone and hence a person with Stage C and D cancer can have their life extended and improved by the use of hormonal therapy.

There are side effects associated with Hormone therapy. They include hot flashes, weight gain, erectile dysfunction, decrease in muscle mass and strength, personality changes, decreased mentation and osteoporosis.

Prostatectomy : Patients in good health and under age 70 is usually offered surgery as a treatment option. Various types of surgical procedures are done depending on the stage of prostate cancer and patient’s over all health.

Prostatectomy is the most common treatment option for localized prostate cancer. It involves surgical removal of prostate gland and some other near by tissues and reattaching the urethra and bladder. It will prevent further spread of the cancer. If the prostate cancer is in the early stages, prostatectomy can treat the cancer completely. This is done either through a surgical incision in the lower abdomen or the space between the scrotum and rectum.

These procedures also produce side effects like impotency, Urinary incontinence, narrowing of the urethra and difficulty in urination.

Radio Therapy: It is a form of treatment which uses high levels of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing and dividing thus reducing damage to healthy cells. It is more effective for early stage prostate cancer.

Good nutrition is an important part of recovering from the side effects of radiation therapy.

Slight skin changes will be visible after radiation. Skin may become red, swollen, warm and sensitive, as if in a sunburn but it is temporary. The long term effects include, slight darkening of the skin, enlarged pores, increased or decreased sensitivity of the skin and a thickening of tissue or skin.

Chemotherapy: It is a combination of drugs which is effective to kill or slow the growth of rapidly multiplying cells. Chemotherapy is usually prescribed to men with advanced prostate cancer. Chemotherapy drugs are carefully controlled in both dosage and frequency so that cancer cells are destroyed while minimizing the risk to healthy cells. As the drugs circulate throughout the whole body, they can effect the healthy cells also.

The side effects of chemotherapy include hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lowered blood counts, reduced ability of the blood to clot, and an increased risk of infection.

HOMEOPATHY TREATMENT:

CROTALUS : cancer with haematuria.

CONIUM : On every emotion, with itching of prepuce.

SEPIA : discharge during stool.

KALI BHICH : pain during chronic prostates.

SILICEA : While straining at stool.

NITRIC ACID : Discharge after stool.

NUX VOMICA : discharge during stool.

THUJA : When the discharge is greenish and thick.

STAPHISAGRIA : prostatic discharge after sexual excesses.

SELENIUM : discharge during stool.

Homeopathy Dosage Directions

Select the remedy that most closely matches the symptoms. In conditions where self-treatment is appropriate, unless otherwise directed by a physician, a lower potency (6X, 6C, 12X, 12C, 30X, or 30C)

Leukaemia (Blood Cancer)

2010-05-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

Leukaemia is generally known as Blood Cancer.

Q. 1: What is leukemia?

Ans.: Leukemia is a type of cancer. Cancer is a group of many related diseases. All cancers begin in cells, which make up blood and other tissues. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells replace them.

Sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. Leukemia is cancer that begins in blood cells.

Normal blood cells

Blood cells form in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft material in the center of most bones.

Immature blood cells are called stem cells and blasts. Most blood cells mature in the bone marrow and then move into the blood vessels. Blood that flows through the blood vessels and heart is called the peripheral blood.

Q. 2: What are the types of leukemia?

Ans.: The types of leukemia are grouped by how quickly the disease develops and gets worse. Leukemia is either chronic (gets worse slowly) or acute (gets worse quickly):

* Chronic leukemia—Early in the disease, the abnormal blood cells can still do their work, and people with chronic leukemia may not have any symptoms. Slowly, chronic leukemia gets worse. It causes symptoms as the number of leukemia cells in the blood rises.

* Acute leukemia—The blood cells are very abnormal. They cannot carry out their normal work. The number of abnormal cells increases rapidly. Acute leukemia worsens quickly.

The types of leukemia are also grouped by the type of white blood cell that is affected. Leukemia can arise in lymphoid cells or myeloid cells. Leukemia that affects lymphoid cells is called lymphocytic leukemia. Leukemia that affects myeloid cells is called myeloid leukemia or myelogenous leukemia.

Q. 3: Who is at risk for Leukemia?

Ans. : No one knows the exact causes of leukemia. Doctors can seldom explain why one person gets this disease and another does not. However, research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop leukemia. A risk factor is something that increases a person's chance of developing a disease.

Studies have found the following risk factors for leukemia:

* Very high levels of radiation —People exposed to very high levels of radiation are much more likely than others to develop leukemia. Very high levels of radiation have been caused by atomic bomb explosions (such as those in Japan during World War II) and nuclear power plant accidents (such as the Chernobyl [also called Chornobyl] accident in 1986).

Medical treatment that uses radiation can be another source of high-level exposure. Radiation used for diagnosis, however, exposes people to much lower levels of radiation and is not linked to leukemia.

* Working with certain chemicals—Exposure to high levels of benzene in the workplace can cause leukemia. Benzene is used widely in the chemical industry. Formaldehyde is also used by the chemical industry. Workers exposed to formaldehyde also may be at greater risk of leukemia.

* Chemotherapy—Cancer patients treated with certain cancer-fighting drugs sometimes later develop leukemia. For example, drugs known as alkylating agents are associated with the development of leukemia many years later.

* Down syndrome and certain other genetic diseases—Some diseases caused by abnormal chromosomes may increase the risk of leukemia.

* Human T-cell leukemia virus-I (HTLV-I)—This virus causes a rare type of chronic lymphocytic leukemia known as human T-cell leukemia. However, leukemia does not appear to be contagious.

* Myelodysplastic syndrome—People with this blood disease are at increased risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia.

In the past, some studies suggested exposure to electromagnetic fields as another possible risk factor for leukemia. Electromagnetic fields are a type of low-energy radiation that comes from power lines and electric appliances. However, results from recent studies show that the evidence is weak for electromagnetic fields as a risk factor.

Q. 4: Does leukaemia run in families?

Ans.: 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. 5 : What are symptoms of leukemia?

Ans.: Like all blood cells, leukemia cells travel through the body. Depending on the number of abnormal cells and where these cells collect, patients with leukemia may have a number of symptoms.

Common symptoms of leukemia:

* Fever or night sweat

* Frequent infections

* Feeling weak or tired

* Headache

* Bleeding and bruising easily (bleeding gums, purplish patches in the skin, or tiny red spots under the skin)

* Pain in the bones or joints

* Swelling or discomfort in the abdomen (from an enlarged spleen)

* Swollen lymph nodes, especially in the neck or armpit

* Weight loss

Q. 6: How many common types of leukaemia?

Ans.: There are four common types of leukemia:

* Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (chronic lymphoblastic leukemia, CLL) accounts for about 7,000 new cases of leukemia each year. Most often, people diagnosed with the disease are over age 55. It almost never affects children.

* Chronic myeloid leukemia (chronic myelogenous leukemia, CML) accounts for about 4,400 new cases of leukemia each year. It affects mainly adults.

* Acute lymphocytic leukemia (acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ALL) accounts for about 3,800 new cases of leukemia each year. It is the most common type of leukemia in young children. It also affects adults.

* Acute myeloid leukemia (acute myelogenous leukemia, AML) accounts for about 10,600 new cases of leukemia each year. It occurs in both adults and children.

Q. 7: Is leukaemia a children's cancer?

Ans.: 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 many cases of leukaemia in the Asian subcontinent each year amongst children, with many of higher age groups,as well.

Cervix Cancer

2010-05-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Q. 1: What is cervix?

Ans.: Cervix is the lowest part of uterus which is an organ that only women have, and it is where a baby grows and develops when a woman is pregnant. During pregnancy, the uterus has an enormous increase in size. When a woman is not pregnant, the uterus is a small, pear-shaped organ that sits between a womans rectum and her bladder. The cervix connects the uterus with the birth canal (the vagina). The cervix can both be visualized and sampled by your doctor during a routine pelvic examination in his or her office.

Q. 2: What is cervical cancer?

Ans.: Cervical cancer starts in a woman's cervix, which is the lower, narrow part of the uterus. The uterus holds the growing fetus during pregnancy. The cervix connects the lower part of the uterus to the vagina and, with the vagina, forms the birth canal.

Cervical cancer develops when normal cells on the surface of the cervix begin to change, grow uncontrollably, and eventually form a mass of cells called a tumor. A tumor can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

At the outset, the changes in a cell are abnormal, not cancerous. Researchers believe, however, some of these abnormal changes are the first step in a series of slow changes that can lead to cancer. Some of the abnormal cells go away without treatment, but others can become cancerous. This phase of the disease is called dysplasia (an abnormal growth of cells). The precancerous tissue needs to be removed to stop cancer from developing. Often, the precancerous tissue can be removed or destroyed without harming healthy tissues, but in some cases, a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and cervix) is needed to prevent cervical cancer. Treatment of a lesion (a precancerous area) depends on the following factors:

* How big the lesion is, and what type of changes have occurred in the cells

* If the woman wants to have children in the future

* The woman's age

* The woman's general health

* The preference of the woman and her doctor

If the precancerous cells change into true cancer cells and spread deeper into the cervix or to other tissues and organs, the disease is then called cervical cancer.

There are two main types of cervical cancer, named for the type of cell where the cancer started.

* Squamous cell carcinoma, which makes up about 80% to 90% of all cervical cancers

* Adenocarcinoma, which makes up 10% to 20% of all cervical cancers

Q. 3: What are the signs of cervical cancer?

Ans.: Women with cervical cancer may experience the following symptoms. Sometimes, women with cervical cancer do not show any of these symptoms. Or these symptoms may be caused by a medical condition that is not cancer.

Most women do not have any signs or symptoms of a precancer or early stage cervical cancer. Symptoms usually do not appear until the cancer has spread to other tissues and organs.

Any of the following could be signs or symptoms of cervical dysplasia or cancer:

* Blood spots or light bleeding between or following periods

* Menstrual bleeding that is longer and heavier than usual

* Bleeding after intercourse, douching, or a pelvic examination

* Pain during sexual intercourse

* Bleeding after menopause

* Increased vaginal discharge

Testing for Cancer with a Biopsy

2010-05-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

A biopsy is a medical procedure in which a tissue sample or a group of cells is removed for laboratory examination. There are several types of biopsies available, designed to compliment an array of different conditions and parts of the body. Many of these procedures are performed with a needle and syringe, requiring no sedation. In some cases, the removal of tissue will necessitate surgery. Biopsies are typically conducted alongside other diagnostic processes. This will yield a more accurate diagnosis. A microscopic evaluation of biopsied cells can definitively determine the presence of cancer, but imaging tests are usually needed to determine the stage and behavior of the cancer.

Biopsy Types

Needle Biopsy

Needle biopsies are frequently performed to analyze growths that can be felt through the skin. Such growths may include lumps in the breasts or testes. There are four main types of needle biopsy:

Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA): In this procedure, a long, fine needle pierces the skin and is inserted into the suspicious tissue. A syringe is then used to extract cells from the tissue. Typically, the cells will be sent to a laboratory for a microscopic evaluation. When a cyst is drained with FNA, and the material is not sent away for laboratory evaluation, the procedure is called a cyst aspiration. FNA is relatively painless and can be performed in minutes.
Core Needle Biopsy: When solid tissue is biopsied, or when larger amounts of tissue are needled for evaluation, a hollow core needle is used to perform the procedure. This needle will extract a column of tissue from the suspect area. Sometimes, a small incision must be made in order to make way for this larger needle. When biopsy necessitates an incision, local anesthesia is used.
Vacuum-Assisted Biopsy: This procedure is similar to a normal core needle biopsy. However, in a vacuum-assisted biopsy, a special machine is used to draw even more cells from the suspect tissue.
Image-Guided Biopsy: When the suspect tissue cannot be felt through the skin, but is still a candidate for a needle biopsy, an image-guided biopsy is performed. In this procedure, the standard needle biopsy is guided with the aid of various imaging technologies, such as computed tomography (CT scan) or ultrasound.

Skin (Cutaneous) Biopsy

A skin biopsy is performed to remove cells from the skin, or other tissues on the body’s surface. Most skin cancers are diagnosed with a skin biopsy. There are several types of skin biopsy procedures available:

Shave Biopsy: This procedure can be performed with a small scalpel or a curved razor blade. With the tool, cells are scraped form the surface of the skin, after which they are sent away for analysis. You will not need stitches after this procedure. Shaving the skin is not the same as making an incision through the skin.
Punch Biopsy: In a punch biopsy, a physician will use rounded knife, ranging in size from 1mm to 8mm, to remove sections of the skin below the surface. Most punch biopsies are performed to extract tissues located about ¼ of an inch into the skin. Following a punch biopsy, the wound is usually stitched to ensure proper healing.
Incisional Biopsy: This procedure is performed to extract tissues located below the skin, into the subcutaneous fat. To extract these tissues, an incision is made with an elliptical scalpel, after which the wound will be stitched.
Excisional Biopsy: This procedure is a type of incisional biopsy in which the entire lesion or tumor is removed. In most biopsy procedures, only a portion of the suspect tissue is removed for analysis. Because an excisional biopsy removes all of the suspect tissue, it can sometimes provide curative, as well as diagnostic results. Many melanomas, though, are located on the face and cannot be completely excised in such a manner.

Curretage

In this procedure, the suspect tissue is scraped using a round curette blade. Sometimes this tool is used in a skin biopsy, but it can also be used to scrape cells from bone and other internal tissues.

Surgery

When suspect tissues are inaccessible using common biopsy procedures, a surgical biopsy is required. During a surgical biopsy, an incision is made through the skin, allowing the physician to access suspicious cells located within the body. This procedure is essentially the same thing as a needle, skin, or curretage biopsy; however, it utilizes a surgical incision as a means to penetrate the suspect tissue.

A Brief History of the Biopsy

Ernest Henri Besnier, the famed French dermatologist, introduced the word “biopsy” to the medical community in 1879.
The first biopsy used to diagnose a disease was performed in Russia in 1875 by M.M. Rudnev.
Historical evidence suggests that the Arabs may have been performing diagnostic biopsies as early as the 12th century AD. The Arab physician Abulcasim reportedly used a needle to extract material from a goiter (a swelling of the neck due to thyroid gland abnormalities). He used this material to characterize, or primitively diagnose the goiter.

Diagnosing Cancer through Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) Imaging

2010-05-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), also known as echo-endoscopy, combines the techniques of endoscopy with ultrasound imaging technologies. This combination of procedures and technologies allows doctors to visualize structures within the human body.

Endoscopy: This minimally invasive procedure involves inserting a long, flexible tube into a hollow organ. The tube is known as an endoscope. Various instruments, such as cameras and curettes (scalpel-like tools), can be attached to the endoscope to perform an array of tasks.
Ultrasound: This technology utilizes high-frequency sound waves to generate images of structures inside the body. SONAR, a technology developed for the U.S. military, similarly uses sound waves to generate images of structures deep in the ocean.

The endoscopic probe used in EUS procedures contains an ultrasound transmitter. This allows the high-frequency sound waves to travel through the body from an internal location, generating more accurate images. Traditional ultrasound transmits sound waves through the body from an external location. This method of ultrasound imaging is used to visualize a developing fetus in a woman’s womb.

To diagnose cancer, endoscopic ultrasound is used to locate tumors in the following inner-body locations:

Respiratory Tract

To diagnose cancers of the chest, such as lung cancer, an endoscopic ultrasound probe is inserted into the esophagus through the nose or mouth.

Lower Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract

To diagnose cancers of the rectum or colon, an endoscopic ultrasound probe is inserted into the large intestine via the anus.

Upper GI Tract

To diagnose cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract, such as stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and various gastric malignancies, an endoscopic ultrasound probe is inserted into the esophagus, stomach, and the first section of the small intestine (duodenum).

What To Expect During an Endoscopic Ultrasound Procedure

EUS is generally performed while the patient is under general anesthesia. Although EUS is known as a minimally invasive procedure, it may affect the patient with mild to severe discomfort.

Very few preparatory measures need to be examined before an upper respiratory or upper GI tract endoscopic ultrasound Typically, you will be asked to fast (not eat) the night before the procedure. It is acceptable to drink clear fluids during this period of fasting.

For lower GI tract EUS procedures, you may be asked to take 2 fleet enemas on the morning of your exam. Fleet enemas clean the bowels by stimulating the processes of waist removal in the intestines.

Risk Factors

Endoscopic ultrasound involves a very low degree of risk. Rarely, however, an EUS procedure may result in the following complications:

Bleeding: Bleeding is often the result of scratches or abrasions caused by the endoscopic probe sliding against the lining of the esophagus, intestines, or stomach.
Puncturing: Very rarely, an endoscopic ultrasound probe will puncture the lining of the GI tract, which may cause severe bleeding, and a host of serious complications. If a puncture occurs, it is usually repaired with surgery.
Drug Reactions: Before you undergo an EUS procedure, inform your doctor of any drug allergies that you may have. Before, during, and after EUS, you doctor may prescribe certain medications to make the procedure more effective. It is important to ask questions about each of these medications and how they might influence your health.

After EUS

Following an EUS procedure, your doctor will recommend that you rest for a while in the recovery area. This rest will help you overcome any feelings of tiredness or nausea associated with the anesthesia. You may feel bloated or uncomfortable after an endoscopic ultrasound, but these feelings usually subside quickly. Some patients may experience a sore throat after EUS. This is rarely severe, and usually subsided in a matter of hours or days.

It is imprtant to have a friend or family member take you to and from your EUS exam. It is especially imperative for them to drive you home, because the effects of anesthesia can take up to 24 hours to wear off.

Guide to Testing and Diagnosing Cancer

2010-05-24T12:33:00.001-07:00

Prevention and early detection are the most important cancer-fighting tools. Research suggests that up to 35% of cancer related death could be avoided if more people would undergo regular cancer testing and screening procedures.

Many cancer tests are incapable of providing diagnostic results; instead, they indicate whether or not a patient should undergo more in-depth evaluation. For example, a mammogram may reveal a lump (mass of tissue) in the breast, but it cannot determine whether or not the lump is cancerous or benign (non-cancerous). A histological (microscopic) analysis of tissues from the lump is required to definitively diagnose cancer.

Types of Tests

After a series of basic physical examinations, the following tests are commonly used to definitively diagnose a cancer:

Biopsy

In a biopsy, a group of cells or an entire piece of tissue is removed for laboratory examination. The histological (microscopic) examination of biopsied tissue is the most effective and common method of cancer diagnosis. Most biopsies are performed in a doctor's office with a needle and syringe, requiring no anesthesia. Biopsying tissues located deep within the body may necessitate surgery.

...a complete guide to Biopsy

Bone Scan

In a bone scan, a radioactive substance (tracer) is injected into a vein, after which it will ultimately travel into the bones. Once the tracer has reached the bones, a special camera (gamma) is used to photograph the interaction between the radioactive tracer and the inside of the bones. Photographing this interaction allows physicians to analyze overall bone function.

Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) Scan

This imaging test uses a computer to analyze the results of multiple x-rays, generating cross-sectional images of the body's internal structures. Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) Scans are more commonly referred to as CT scans, or computerized tomography.

Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) Imaging

EUS imaging combines an endoscopy procedure with ultrasound technology to produce a detailed, cost-effective image of the gastrointestinal tract.

Endoscopy: This procedure involves the insertion of a long flexible tube into the mouth or anus. The tube is called an endoscope.
Ultrasound: Ultrasound technology is the use of high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the body’s internal structures. Ultrasound is similar to SONAR technology, which has been used for many years to detect structures under water.

Traditional ultrasound transmits sound waves through the body from an external location. In an endoscopic ultrasound, sound waves are transmitted through the body from the tip of the endoscope. Transmitting sound waves from within the body produces a much more detailed image.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Testing

An MRI test uses a powerful magnetic field with radio frequency pulses to produce detailed images of the body’s internal structures. This imaging test is non-invasive and, unlike CT scans, it does not use harmful ionizing radiation to produce an image. Furthermore, MRI testing almost always reveals a more detailed image than a CT scan, ultrasound, or traditional x-ray.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scans

In a PET scan, a small amount of a radioactive substance (tracer) is injected into a vein. The tracer travels through the bloodstream and is absorbed by certain organs and tissues. Once absorbed, a series of x-rays are captured and analyzed by a computer, producing an image of the body’s internal structures. Tracers have been developed to interact with specific organs and tissues, allowing PET scans to target certain diseases and locations throughout the body.

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Testing

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein generated by the cells in the prostate gland. In a PSA test, a physician will take a blood sample, and the amount of PSA in the blood will be evaluated in a laboratory. High levels of PSA in the blood may indicate the presence of a prostate tumor.

Thermography Imaging

Thermography, or thermal imaging, is a type of imaging test that captures light in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. The amount of infrared light emitted by an object increases with temperature. Because cancerous tissues grow faster than normal tissues, they require an ever-increasing supply of nutrients. This nutrient demand stimulates blood circulation around cancerous tissues, creating heat and giving off infrared light.

Treating Cancer with Chemotherapy

2010-05-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Overview

Chemotherapy is the use of chemical agents to kill cells. In conversational usage, the term chemotherapy refers to the chemical treatment of cancer. But chemical agents are also used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), various autoimmune diseases, and even arthritis.

Most people associate chemotherapy with a myriad of horrible side effects, such as hair loss and nausea. While these side effects do often accompany chemo regimens, millions of cancer patients have been able to enjoy long, vibrant lives because of this treatment option. Furthermore, chemotherapy side-effect management has progressed significantly over the past few decades. Many of chemo’s distressing side effects can be prevented completely, or controlled using today’s advanced treatment strategies.

More than 50% of people diagnosed with cancer are treated with chemotherapy. For some patients, chemo serves as their only treatment, whereas other patients are prescribed chemotherapeutic drugs alongside other treatment options.

How Does Chemo Work?

Chemotherapeutic drugs inhibit the process of mitosis, or cell division. Since malignant (cancer) cells divide without control or order, these drugs effectively target cancerous growths. Some chemo drugs cause cancer cells to die altogether by stimulating a process known as apoptosis (programmed cell-death).

Although chemotherapeutic drugs are designed to target fast-dividing cancer cells, they inadvertently damage healthy cells. The faster a healthy cell divides, the more likely it is to be affected by chemo. This is why your hair may fall out during a chemo regimen. The cells that compose the hair follicles divide quickly.

Researchers have yet to determine all of the features unique to malignant cells and healthy cells. Identifying these specific features may someday open the door to chemotherapeutic drugs that target malignant cells exclusively, resulting in little to no side effects.

Chemotherapeutic drugs have been developed to target various rates of mitosis (cell division), but the slower the rate of division, the greater the risk of healthy cell damage. It is easier to differentiate aggressive malignancies from normal tissues, than it is to target a slow-growing malignancy in an environment of similarly slow-growing healthy cells. This makes aggressive cancers the best candidates for successful chemo treatment.

The Focus of Chemotherapy Treatment

Depending on the type, size, and location of your cancer, as well as your overall health, a doctor may focus chemotherapy to achieve any of the following goals:

Curative: Curative chemotherapy is intended to kill all the cancer cells in the body, curing the patient of cancer.
Palliative: This approach involves prolonging the patient's life by controlling cancer growth, spread, and invasion into other tissues. Palliative treatments are also used to help relieve cancer-related symptoms, improving the patient’s quality of life.
Adjuvant: This treatment strategy involves using chemotherapy alongside other cancer treatment options. Adjuvant chemotherapy is usually administered after surgery or radiotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells in the body.
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: The focus of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is to reduce the size of a tumor preceding surgery or other treatment options.

Types of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy drugs include:

Alkylating Agents

These chemical agents utilize the cellular property of electronegativity to add alkyl groups to cells. Electronegativity is a cell’s ability to attract electrons. When a cell inadvertently attracts alkyl groups, the alkyl alters the cell’s DNA, resulting in cell death or impaired mitosis.

The following chemotherapeutic drugs are alkylating agents:

Cisplatin
Carboplatin
Oxaloplatin
Mechlorethamine
Cyclophosphamide
Chlorambucil

Anti-Metabolites

These chemical agents mask themselves as purine (one of the building blocks of DNA). When a cell accepts the masked anti-metabolites, it becomes unable to incorporate genuine purine into its DNA. This results in cellular DNA damage. Anti-metabolites are among the most widely used chemotherapeutic drugs.

Plant Alkaloids

These chemical agents are derived from plant cells. They inhibit microtubule function in a cell. Microtubules are the structural components of a cell that are responsible for mitosis, among other cellular functions.

Antitumor Antibiotics

These chemical agents involve the patient’s own immune system in the inhibition of mitosis. Examples of these chemotherapeutic drugs include:

Trastuzumab (Herceptin)
Cetuximab
Rituximab

Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Although side effect management has come along way in recent years, chemotherapy drugs still affect healthy cells. Sometimes the effects of cell damage are temporary, but sometimes they are long-term or even permanent. Talk to your doctor about what to expect from your chemotherapeutic drugs.

Short-Term Side Effects

Hair Loss
Bleeding
Fatigue
Infertility
Cognitive Impairment
Sensory Abnormalities: Food tastes different, odors are perceived differently, etc.
Lung Damage
Nervous Tissue Damage
Liver Damage
Gastrointestinal Damage: Damage to the fast-dividing cells of your gastrointestinal tract (stomach, intestines, esophagus, and other digestive components) may result in a myriad of side effects, such as:
- Temporary effects may include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Dry Mouth
- Constipation
- Mouth Sores
- Difficulty Swallowing
- Loss of Appetite

The onset of these symptoms may also be the result of cellular damage elsewhere in the body.

Most of these side effects will diminish or disappear completely after you stop your chemo treatments. There are medications available to accompany your chemo treatments that may help reduce the negative effects of chemotherapy.

Long-Term Side Effects

Long-term Chemo effects are rare. As cancer patients live longer and longer lives, doctors are uncovering side effects that don't show until many years after treatment ends. Discuss the possibility off long-term effects with your doctor before beginning any treatment.

Long-term effects may include:

Nervous Tissue Damage: This may result in sensory abnormalities and impaired cognitive function. This is rare.
Hematuria: Blood in the urine.
Organ Damage: This typically involves heart, lung, or kidney impairment.
The Onset of Another Cancer: Studies have suggested a link between chemotherapy and the onset of Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and leukemia. This link has not been properly identified, but it is probably due to the cellular DNA damage caused by chemotherapy.

History of Chemotherapy

In the 1940s, the United States Department of Defense recruited two pharmacologists, Louis S. Goodman and Alfred Gilman, to research the therapeutic properties of chemical warfare agents. Autopsy findings involving people exposed to nitrogen mustard (mustard gas) unveiled conditions in the body conducive to tumor suppression.

Goodman and Gilman first began testing the effects of nitrogen mustard on mice. These tests allowed them to officially demonstrate the antitumor properties of nitrogen mustard. After the mice tests, Goodman and Gilman collaborated with thoracic surgeon Gustav Linskog to inject mustine (a molecular variation of nitrogen mustard) into a human with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This caused the patient’s malignant masses to decrease in size. The patient was not cured, but this was a major stepping-stone in the treatment of cancer with chemical agents.

After World War II, the scientific community embarked on a number of cancer treatment research projects. These projects included the groundbreaking use of folate analogues to treat Indian children with leukemia in 1948. Folate anologues antagonize folic acid in cells. Folic acid is a vital component of cellular metabolism. When cellular metabolism is impaired, cellular division is disrupted, or the cell dies. Using folate analogues was the first demonstration of remission in all patients that were given the chemical agent.

In the 1950’s, the U.S. government began incentivizing pharmaceutical companies to develop anticancer drugs. Since this initial “push” to support cancer research and drug development, cancer has been receiving an enormous amount of political and social attention around the world. This much-needed attention has led to many breakthrough tests and treatment options.

The Future of Chemotherapy

The future of chemotherapy involves the development of chemical agents that can target malignant cells more precisely. This will reduce or eliminate healthy cell damage, resulting in fewer side effects. Researchers are also hard at work developing chemotherapy drugs aimed at treating slow-growing malignancies that are currently less sensitive to chemical agents.

Breast Cancer – Types of Breast Cancer

2010-05-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the cells of the breast Worldwide, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer (10.4% of all cancer incidence, both sexes counted) and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. Worldwide, breast cancer is by far the most common cancer amongst women, with an incidence rate more than twice that of colorectal cancer and cervical cancer and about three times that of lung cancer. However breast cancer mortality worldwide is just 25% greater than that of lung cancer in women. In 2005, breast cancer caused 502,000 deaths worldwide (7% of cancer deaths; almost 1% of all deaths).The number of cases worldwide has significantly increased since the 1970s, a phenomenon partly blamed on modern lifestyles in the Western world.

In most cases, it isn’t clear what causes normal breast cells to become cancerous. Doctors do know that only 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancers are inherited. Families that do have genetic defects in one of two genes, breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) or breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), have a much greater risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer. Other inherited mutations — including the ataxia-telangiectasia mutation gene, the cell-cycle checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK-2) gene and the p53 tumor suppressor gene — also make it more likely that you’ll develop breast cancer. If one of these genes is present in your family, you have a 50 percent chance of having the gene.

Inflammatory breast cancer is a type of breast cancer that involves the skin of the breast. This type of cancer comprises less than 4% of all breast cancers diagnosed each year in the US. The physical symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include redness of the skin of the breast and a general swelling of the breast. In some cases, a lump may be present.

Types of Breast Cancer

Tumor grade: If the cancer is an invasive type, the pathologist assigns it a grade. The grade is based on how closely cells in the sample tissue resemble normal breast tissue under the microscope. The grading information, along with the cell type, helps your doctor determine treatment options.

Tubular carcinoma: This rare type of breast cancer gets its name from the appearance of the cancer cells under a microscope. Though it’s an invasive breast cancer, the outlook is more favorable than it is for invasive ductal carcinoma or invasive lobular carcinoma.

Metaplastic carcinoma: Met plastic carcinoma represents less than 1 percent of all newly diagnosed breast cancers. This lesion tends to remain localized and contains several different types of cells that are not typically seen in other forms of breast cancer. Prognosis and treatment is the same as for invasive ductal carcinoma.

Lobular Carcinoma In Situ is NOT cancer. But it’s a sign that the woman who has it is 6 to 7 more times likely to develop cancer, over the course of her lifetime, than a woman who doesn’t have LCIS: the same risk you’d be at if your mother and sister both had cancer.

Most lumps turn out to be fibrocystic changes. The term “fibrocystic” refers to fibrosis and cysts. Fibrosis is the formation of fibrous (or scar-like) tissue, and cysts are fluid-filled sacs. Fibrocystic changes can cause breast swelling and pain. This often happens just before a period is about to begin. Your breasts may feel lumpy and, sometimes, you may notice a clear or slightly cloudy nipple discharge.

Lymphoma - Overview

2010-05-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Overview

The term “lymphoma” identifies more than 67 subtypes of cancer that affect the lymphatic system. These 67 subtypes are divided into two groups of lymphoma:

Hodgkin Lymphoma: Representing 6 types of lymphoma and more than 800 annual diagnoses
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL): Representing at least 61 types of lymphoma and more than 66,000 annual diagnoses.

Hodgkin lymphoma and NHL differ in the way they originate, proliferate, and are treated.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma develops in the lymphatic system, which plays a vital role in the body’s ability to fight off infection. In NHL, lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) undergo anomalous mutations that cause tumors to develop.

Signs and Symptoms

Swollen Lymph Nodes in the neck, armpit, or groin
Night Sweats
Fatigue
Weight Loss
Abdominal Pain or Swelling
Itchy Sensations
Chest Pain
Trouble Breathing
Fever
Coughing

Learn More

Understand the signs and symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis and staging, treatment, and prognosis of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma by visiting the Lymphoma Research Foundation. Also, visit the Know Cancer Community and Education pages to share your stories and learn more about the effects and future of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hodgkin Lymphoma

Hodgkin lymphoma, also known as Hodgkin’s disease, is a cancer that originates in the lymph tissue of the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and bone marrow. It is distinguished from other forms of lymphoma by the presence of the Reed-Sternberg cell.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms associated with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are flu-like in nature. As a result, many patients ignore their symptoms, wrongfully assuming that they can be treated with over-the-counter flu and cold remedies. Symptoms may include:

Fever
Fatigue
Night Sweats
Weight Loss
Itchy Skin

Mantle cell lymphoma

2010-05-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

Epidemiology

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHLs) are a very heterogeneous group of cancers that develop in the lymph nodes present throughout the body. There are over 25 subtypes of NHL, and mantle cell lymphoma accounts for 6 to 8% of these cases. In older staging systems, mantle cell lymphoma was classified as indolent because it was (and still is) generally incurable with chemotherapy. It also occurs more often in elderly patients, which is more characteristic of indolent NHL. However, the average survival is significantly shorter than with other types of indolent lymphomas, only two to three years. Currently, most oncologists view mantle cell lymphoma as an aggressive type and treat it accordingly. Approximately 4600 patients are diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma in the United States each year.

Risk Factors

The exact cause of mantle cell lymphoma is most often unknown. As with most cancers, a family history increases a patient’s risk to some extent. In addition, suppression of the immune system may lead to the development of mantle cell lymphoma. This includes immune suppression associated with organ transplant (from the drugs taken to prevent organ rejection) and with HIV/AIDS infection. Occupational exposures, notably pesticides, also increase the risk of mantle cell lymphoma. In fact, the Midwest, where farming is prevalent, has the highest incidence of NHL in the United States. Finally, infection with viruses, such as hepatitis C and the Epstein-Barr virus, may increase the risk of developing mantle cell lymphoma.

Signs and Symptoms

Enlarged (swollen) lymph nodes are the most common presenting sign in patients with mantle cell lymphoma. The swollen lymph nodes are usually hard, fixed in place, and painless to the touch. In addition, some patients also have non-specific symptoms, such as fevers, drenching night sweats, and unexplained weight loss greater than 10% of body weight. These are termed "B" symptoms and indicate the presence of more advanced disease. Patients with mantle cell lymphoma tend to have bone marrow and spleen involvement more often than patients with other types of aggressive NHL. In addition, the gastrointestinal tract (most notably the colon) may be involved.

Diagnosis and Staging

The most important diagnostic procedure in patients suspected of having lymphoma is the lymph node biopsy. Many cancers can be diagnosed by inserting a small needle into the tumor mass and withdrawing cells for examination under a microscope. This is called a “fine needle aspiration” or FNA. For lymphoma diagnosis, however, the preferred technique is removal of the entire affected lymph node for examination by a pathologist. It is of the utmost importance that these biopsies are examined by a pathologist who is experienced in diagnosing lymphomas. Knowing the subtype of NHL is crucial for determining long-term prognosis and treatment options.

Once the diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma is established, patients should undergo tests to determine the extent of disease. This should include CT scans of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, a bone marrow biopsy, a complete blood count, serum chemistries (including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and uric acid), and an HIV test. Because the colon is frequently involved in mantle cell lymphoma, a colonoscopy is recommended as routine work-up as well. Hepatitis B testing is also recommended due to reports of hepatitis reactivation during chemotherapy. Finally, a baseline echocardiogram or MUGA scan to evaluate heart function should be done prior to chemotherapy, as some drugs can damage the heart.

All of the above testing leads physicians to establish a "stage" of mantle cell lymphoma for each patient. Stages for mantle cell lymphoma include the following:

Stage I: One involved lymph node group
Stage II: Two or more involved lymph node groups on the same side of the diaphragm
Stage III: Multiple lymph node groups involved on both sides of the diaphragm
Stage IV: Disseminated involvement of extra-nodal sites, such as the liver or bone marrow

An "A" or "B" is added to the stage number to indicate the presence or absence of the "B" symptoms previously described. For example, a person with mantle cell lymphoma with bone marrow involvement, as well as recurrent night sweats and weight loss, would be considered to have "Stage IVB" disease.

Prognostic Factors

Mantle cell lymphoma itself is considered a poor prognosis in patients with aggressive types of NHL, with an average survival of only two to three years. In addition, stage at the time of diagnosis is a crucial prognostic factor in patients with mantle cell lymphoma: A higher stage indicates more advanced lymphoma, and therefore has a worse prognosis. Unfortunately, 70% of patients with mantle cell lymphoma present with stage IV disease. Other poor prognostic factors include presence of "B" symptoms, concurrent HIV/AIDS infection, age greater than 60 years, high LDH level time of diagnosis (indicative of more advanced disease), and poor performance status (inability to care for oneself).

First-Line Treatment of Mantle Cell Lymphoma

As discussed, mantle cell lymphoma responds significantly less well to standard chemotherapy than other types of aggressive NHL. There is no standard first-line therapy, and all patients with this diagnosis should consider participation in a clinical trial.

Few patients present with localized mantle cell lymphoma, therefore clinical studies of treatments are limited to case series. Most guidelines recommend radiation to the sites of lymphoma, with or without combination chemotherapy such as R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone).

Occasionally, patients may present with aymptomatic, advanced mantle cell lymphoma. Because advanced mantle cell lymphoma is not curable, these patients may be observed carefully until the disease progresses and/or symptoms occur.

Most patients with mantle cell lymphoma present with symptomatic advanced disease (stages III and IV). Treatment should consist of combination chemotherapy plus rituxumab. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody drug that specifically kills B-cell lymphomas. It is synergistic with chemotherapy, meaning that the two types of medications work better together. All of the regimens used to treat other types of aggressive NHL, such as R-CHOP, have been used to treat mantle cell lymphoma as well. It should be noted that although up to 70% of patients will have a response to these regimens, none are curative in patients with advanced disease.

The regimen R-HyperCVAD has shown higher response rates (up to 80%) and the potential for prolonged survival compared to other regimens. This treatment includes the drugs rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone alternating in cycles with high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine. R-Hyper-CVAD should be used very cautiously in patients over the age of 65 years due to toxicity risks. The addition of "R" or rituximab, in the regimens used to treat mantle cell lymphoma does significant increase the percentage of patients responding to treatment, but it is unclear if this drug actually improves overall survival.

The incurability of mantle cell lymphoma with standard doses of chemotherapy has lead many clinicians to consider hematopoietic stem cell transplant (also called bone marrow transplant) as part of first-line therapy in good performance status patients. The most common type of bone marrow transplant is an autologous transplant, in which the patient’s own blood stem cells are harvested, then re-infused following very-high-dose chemotherapy. Most studies to date have primarily included patients younger than 65 years. In these patients, bone marrow transplant produces durable remissions, with more than 80% of patients living at least three years.

Treatment of Recurrent/Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Regardless of the initial treatment given, almost all patients with mantle cell lymphoma have recurrent disease. The average time to recurrence of 18 months. Many salvage chemotherapy regimens have been studied for recurrent mantle cell lymphoma. None has proven superior to another, and patients are not cured with these standard-dose regimens. Participation in a clinical trial is always a good choice for patients with relapsed mantle cell lymphoma.

Most salvage regimens include the agent fludarabine:

FC: fludarabine, cyclophosphamide
FMR: fludarabine, mitoxantrone, rituximab
FCMR: fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone, rituximab

Other agents that have activity in recurrent mantle cell lymphoma include chemotherapy drugs such as cladribine and bendamustine, bortezomib (an agent which disrupts cellular homeostasis and has activity in indolent NHL as well), and anti-angiogenesis drugs such as thalidomide and lenalidomide, which inhibit blood vessel formation by the lymphoma cells.

Bone marrow transplant is also a treatment option for patients with a good performance status who have recurrent or refractory mantle cell lymphoma. This treatment strategy can improve the time patients are without active lymphoma, but bone marrow transplant is not a curative procedure in relapsed mantle cell lymphoma. If the patient has previously undergone an autologous bone marrow transplant as part of first-line therapy, then an allogeneic bone marrow transplant (blood stem cells from another person, usually a sibling) may be offered. Bone marrow transplant, especially the allogeneic type, is associated with a high degree of toxicity and should only be performed at cancer centers with staff experienced and skilled in this procedure.

Supportive Care Issues

Tumor lysis syndrome leading to kidney failure and heart arrhythmias is a risk in mantle cell lymphoma patients with advanced disease. These patients can be identified by a high LDH level, high uric acid level, and/or bulky disease (greater than 10 cm). Patients at high risk for tumor lysis syndrome usually receive their cycle or two of chemotherapy in the hospital.

Infections due to bone marrow involvement with lymphoma and/or chemotherapy immune suppression are common in mantle cell lymphoma patients. Prophylaxis with antibiotics may be appropriate in some, and patients should always contact their oncologist if they develop a fever.

Although they are important drugs for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma, doxorubicin and mitoxantrone have the potential to cause congestive heart failure. Patients at highest risk are those receiving cumulative doses of doxorubicin greater than 450 mg/m2 or of mitoxantrone greater than 160 mg/m2, age greater than 70 years, and those with a history of heart disease. All patients receiving doxorubicin and/or mitoxantrone should have their heart function monitored regularly, and if there is evidence of heart failure, therapy should be stopped. Once damage to the heart occurs, it is generally not reversible.

Prostate cancer tests 'not being offered'

2010-03-25T09:46:00.002-07:00

Men enquiring about a blood test for prostate cancer detection are being turned away by their GPs, a new study has suggested.

The report, carried out by the Prostate Cancer Charity, found that a fifth of men asking for the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test are being refused.

According to the organisation, more than two-thirds of men over the age of 50 years, who fall into the high-risk group of developing the cancer, are not even aware of the test.

In addition, the report claimed that men from lower-income backgrounds are three times less likely to request the test than those from economically stronger social groups.

Commenting, Dr Jodie Moffat, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said that the results of the study were "worrying".

"The PSA test can suggest if they have a problem with their prostate gland that needs further investigation," she added.

"It's important that men have access to high-quality information, based on the available evidence about risks and benefits, so that they can make up their own mind about what's best for them."

Advice issued for cervical cancer treatment

2010-03-25T09:46:00.001-07:00

GPs have been issued with new advice to help tackle cervical cancer rates in the UK.

The guidance was given in order to speed up the diagnoses of the cancer and improve the management of treatment when dealing with young women with gynaecological symptoms.

While there are 55 new cases of cervical cancer every week in the UK, it is treatable and has fairly high rates of survival.

According to the Cancer Research charity, over 85 per cent of women under 40 beat the illness.

Health minister Ann Keen commented: "The independent (cap up?)Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening told us that screening women under the age of 25 did more harm than good but that more work needs to be done to ensure patients with symptoms are treated correctly."

She added: "That is why this new guidance will support GPs and practice nurses to identify symptoms and refer where necessary to specialist services."

There are nearly 3,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in Britain each year.

Early hair loss 'may reduce cancer risk in men'

2010-03-25T09:45:00.001-07:00

Men who lose their hair at an early age may have a reduced risk of cancer, a survey has revealed.

Research from the University of Washington School of Medicine has found that men who begin to lose their hair at 30 are less likely to develop prostate cancer.

Dr Helen Rippon, head of research management at the Prostate Cancer Charity, told the BBC: "Clearly, the age at which a man begins to lose his hair is unfortunately not a risk factor for prostate cancer over which he has any control.

"However, if these results are correct, they could be useful in providing us with a greater understanding of how testosterone behaves in the body and how it can affect different tissues."

According to the study the men were up to 45 per cent less likely to develop the cancer.

It is thought that the findings stem from a link between the chemical which causes balding, dihydrotestosterone, and the amounts of testosterone found in the body.

Study claims 'walnuts reduce cancerous tumours'

2010-03-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

A study conducted in the US has revealed that eating walnuts could reduce the effect of prostate cancer.

The research was carried out by the US Department of Agriculture Western Regional Research Centre by looking at a group of mice genetically programmed to develop the cancer.

Led by nutritionist Paul Davis, the study found that tumours did not grow as quickly when walnuts were introduced as part of the mice's diet.

Mr Davis commented: "This study shows that when mice with prostate tumours consume an amount of walnuts that could easily be eaten by a man, tumour growth is controlled.

"This leaves me very hopeful that it could be beneficial in patients."

After 18 weeks the mice which had eaten the walnuts had significantly slower-growing prostate tumours when compared to mice which were fed an equal amount of fat from alternative sources.

The change in diet may have been particularly effective in treating prostate cancer because the disease is particularly sensitive to environmental factors.

Leukaemia

2010-03-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

What is chronic leukaemia?Leukaemia literally means ‘many white cells in the blood'. The white cells are part of the body’s immune system, and there are several sub-groups of white cells that have different sorts of roles in recognising and dealing with ‘invaders’ such as bacteria and viruses as well as other types of foreign protein. All of the blood cells originate in the bone marrow and leukaemia (blood cancer) is a disease where the bone marrow produces large numbers of abnormal white cells. This means that the normal marrow is pushed into smaller and smaller areas. This results in fewer normal cells being produced and gives rise to some of the symptoms.There are many types of leukaemia, each of which is classified according to the exact cell type affected by the disease.Chronic leukaemia is a slowly progressive form of leukaemia and tends to involve more mature cell types. It may not need treatment immediately, but if treatment is required it is usually chemotherapy, given in the form of tablets.The cause of leukaemia is not known.What are the symptoms of chronic leukaemia?It is possible to have chronic leukaemia for months or even years without knowing it.The symptoms are varied, but many people notice:
tiredness (due to anaemia)
bruising easily (often without having had any blow or fall)
repeated infections
enlarged lymph glands
weight loss
night sweats
fever.
What is chronic lymphocytic leukaemia?Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the commonest type of leukaemia with 3000 to 4000 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK. It is a form of chronic leukaemia characterised by an increased number of lymphocytes, which make up one of the main sub-groups of white cells in the blood. Despite their increased numbers these lymphocytes lack the normal ability of responding to infection by the production of antibodies, so compromising the immune system of the affected person.CLL is rarely found in people under the age of 40 - the peak age is 65. It is twice as common in men than in women. There are no obvious causes known for CLL.What are the symptoms of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia?In addition to the symptoms mentioned above which are common to all forms of leukaemia, specific signs of the disease are:
painless enlargement of the lymph glands especially in the neck, armpits and groin.
lymph glands in deeper parts of the body may need special scans for diagnosis.
sometimes an enlarged spleen (located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen) may cause discomfort or pain.
How is chronic lymphocytic leukaemia diagnosed?Often the condition is diagnosed by chance when blood tests are being performed for other reasons.Although a blood test may give doctors the diagnosis, a bone marrow test is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. Special tests are performed on these samples to help classify the leukaemia as this will influence the kind of treatment required.Scans and X-rays may also be performed in order to help doctors decide on the best treatment.How is chronic lymphocytic leukaemia treated?Treatment is not always required and the patient may just be followed up as an outpatient on a regular basis, sometimes for many years, with no need for further action. Older people with early stage CLL have a normal life expectancy. Treatment in the form of chemotherapy will be required for those who are unwell or who have many enlarged lymph glands, or who become significantly anaemic.Chemotherapy is usually given in the form of tablets (usually a medicine called chlorambucil (Leukeran)). Other chemotherapy drugs such as fludarabine (Fludara) (may be used in late stage disease. General bone marrow production of blood cells can occur in more advanced CLL (bone marrow failure) in which steroid treatment with prednisolone (eg Deltacortril) usually allows the bone marrow to recover. Milder degrees of bone marrow failure might adequately be controlled by periodic blood transfusion.X-ray treatment (radiotherapy) can be given locally, to swollen lymph nodes, or in small repeated doses to the whole body. Infections are more common in people with CLL and need to be diagnosed early and treated vigorously. Sometimes the spleen, which is also part of the body’s immune system swells up so much in CLL that it gives rise to pain, or it causes a type of anaemia to develop in which the red cells of the blood (oxygen-carrying cells) become fragile, leading to further anaemia. These problems may justify the surgical removal of the spleen.Bone marrow transplantation may be considered for those patients who are less than 45 years of age and who have an aggressive form of the disease.

Cancer and Family Support

2010-03-25T09:37:00.001-07:00

The doctor informed Soma about her disease and Soma was visibly not so upset. He also told us to look after her well so that she didn’t become mentally weak. So we took maximum care to help her mentally.

I had a very cordial relation with Soma. Her love for me was always exceptional. All she wanted to know that whether I still loved her. Once she became sanguine about my unconditional love for her, she became more determined to fight against cancer.

But she was silently always watchful about the huge expenses that my family had to bear. But at that time, I failed to notice this.

She had a wonderful relation with her mom in law (MIL). My mother, (her MIL), was just like her own mother. Her relationship with my mother was affable and never riddled with even minor controversies. It wasn’t like a typical daughter in law and MIL relation. Both loved each other.

My mom couldn’t accept the reality that Soma wouldn’t live for a long. My mother visited all the temples and did whatever she could do to cure Soma. She always encouraged Soma.

Looking at Soma’s frail body and her increasing pain, my mom sensed the worst and became sick. My mom never recovered again. She died one day prior to death of Soma. I, somehow, believe that they were inseparable souls.

My other family members were also very much supportive. Everyone was very much fond of Soma. No one ever complained about her sickness.

My other family members were so concerned about her health that they always ensured she receive the best treatment at the best hospital.

Cancer Treatment is really very costly. I didn’t have so much money to support huge hospital bills. One of my uncles paid all the hospital bills gladly and also kept on sending me money to ensure that other post treatment related expenses were never neglected.

We together enjoyed quality time. She liked to see TV programs but I affectionately convinced her to avoid movies because of violence and she agreed. We used to enjoy programs on music. Our lives were tough but we worked hard to make it joyous as much as possible.

She decided to start her own business after the completion of her treatment. She could draw on cloths. Soon her designs became very popular. She was happy as she was earning a good profit from her business.

Overall she apparently had a very good environment. We tried our level best to provide her the best moral support. But that wasn’t sufficient.

Being a common man, I overlooked certain things. A specialist could detect her twisted thoughts.

Even, I think, if I would encourage her to write descriptive articles, it would help a lot to understand the under current flowing down her mind. That mistake proved to be very costly in the long run.

Prostate - A Ticking Time Bomb?

2009-03-01T00:49:00.000-08:00

If you are reading this article and is middle aged, it is pretty safe to say that you have, at some point, heard of prostate. In fact, you've probably heard a LOT of things about the prostate and the problems associated with it. It's easy to be completely overwhelmed and confused by all the information, medical terms, and "take caution" articles out there. If so, then reading this article will help you understand more about prostate health, wellness, and longevity and answer some of the common confusions around it!

Let's first start by explaining what the prostate is: The prostate is a walnut-sized gland in the male reproductive system, located just below the bladder, which surrounds part of the urethra (the canal that empties the bladder). On an average, the prostate is made up of about 30% muscular tissue, while the remaining 70% are glandular tissues.

This small (but vital) gland plays a huge role in the daily life and sexual health of all men. The main function of a man's prostate is not only to store, but also to secrete a somewhat alkaline fluid that forms part of semen (this fluid helps to prolong the "lifespan" of sperm). Also, the prostates' smooth muscle structure, aids in its other primary function - helping to expel semen during ejaculation.

Now that we understand what the prostate is, where it is located, and what it does... let's talk why it is important and how to keep prostate healthy. By the age of 40, most men will experience prostate growth - this is not uncommon - but if the prostate grows too large it can cause problems such as BPH and other more serious conditions.

Of these conditions BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) is the most common and affects almost 50-75% of men over the age of 50. Symptoms of BPH include: frequent urgency to urinate, difficulty or painful urination, and a feeling of incomplete bladder emptying. But what causes BPH? Quite simply - BPH is caused by an enlarged prostate.

An enlarged prostate happens when prostate cells start to multiply. The multiplication of these cells exerts pressure on the urethra - the "exit tube" for urine and semen. This pressure creates a narrowing of the urethra, which in turn causes the bladder to contract more vigorously for urine and semen to exit. Eventually, the bladder becomes overly sensitive and results in annoying, frequent, and at times, painful trips to the bathroom. Above all, it can also make your sex life, extremely troublesome!

If you find yourself suffering from any of these symptoms then you may need to take it seriously! There are several all-natural prostate vitamins that can aid in alleviating these symptoms and difficulties associated with it. The powerful herbal product, Saw Palmetto is a great 100% safe berry that appears to be effective than popular man-made drugs and medications.

Studies also show that the effects of Beta-Sitosterol (the ultimate prostate fuel), plus two breakthrough super phytonutrients: Lycopene and Soy Isoflavone, also provide support for proper prostate nutrition and urinary function- all while rejuvenating and energizing your sex drive too!

Another key reason to pay attention to your prostate's health and nutrition is because, for some men, prostate symptoms aggravates more than BPH. In these circumstances, it is recommended to consult a physician and determine prostate PSA (prostate-specific antigen).

PSA... one of those terms you've probably heard before... but aren't quite sure of what it is or how it related to prostate. Well, here's how: PSA is a protein, produced by the prostate and released into the bloodstream. The amount of PSA in the blood typically increases as the prostates size increases. However, these levels can also be elevated due to injury, a DRE (digital rectal exam), sexual activity, or even BPH. A simple blood test is all you need to determine your PSA.

Now that we've discussed what the prostate is, where it is located, and some of the warning signs of prostate health trouble, your prostate health and wellness questions, as well as several key steps to maintaining prostate longevity... Don't become a victim to your prostate! It doesn't have to be a ticking time bomb that just keeps growing larger. Take action now! The sooner you take control of your prostate health and nutrition, the likelier you are to take Control of your Life, eradicate the pain and embarrassment of prostate health troubles and Rejuvenate your Sex drive.

Cancer Treatment With Vitamins

2008-04-28T00:21:00.000-07:00

Whenever a new study about cancer is being conducted, people are constantly asking, "Is the total cure for cancer discovered yet?" Cancer is the most severe disease that could hit a person. There are many types of cancers and most of them are terminal. This means that the patient who is suffering from it would eventually succumb to the disease. Cancer occurs when the different cells of the body are invaded and killed by the harmful type of cells called the cancer cells. Right now, studies and research are being directed regarding the use of Vitamin C to cure a person of cancer. It was believed that large amounts of Vitamin C in the body could kill cancer cells. Doctors are currently validating the facts behind this theory.

Vitamin C could either be taken orally or administered through IV. In the different studies conducted in the different parts of the world, it was found out that the people who take Vitamin C as a daily supplement perform lot better than those who didn't take the vitamin at all.

Vitamins do a lot of good to the body. And it is not recommended for cancer patients alone but to all people in general. The nutrients and the health benefits of vitamins are so enormous that they should never be excluded from a person's daily diet.

Vitamin C is not the only vitamin that can help cure a cancer patient. Almost all types of vitamins play an important role. Vitamins A, D, E, and K could definitely help you fight off the complications of cancer and eventually make you feel a lot better than before. The B complex vitamins accounts for a big part as well.

Treat Cancer with vitamin C

A glass of orange juice a day could do cancer-stricken body wonders. Vitamins C can actually shield healthy cells from getting mutated like the other cells in the body. Vitamin C can be a potent guard against cancer. If you have cancer, make sure that your daily meals include different fruits rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin E can help Cancer

Vitamin E is for the body's added protection. Just like Vitamin C, Vitamin E works in protecting cells. It protects the cells from sustaining the damages it could have acquired from some chemical imbalance inside the body. It was even discovered that prolonged intake of Vitamin C makes stronger cells that are more resistant to mutation.

Vitamin A for Cancer

Fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin A can slowly help cancer patient walk towards the road to recovery.

Beta-carotene, the food form of Vitamin A, helps keep cells healthy and stop them from developing cancer.

The actual role of beta-carotene in cancer prevention is still in the evaluating stages. However, you can always take them now to strengthen your position against the disease.

Cancer patients should make it a point to add the required amount of vitamins in their daily diet. They should see to it that they meet and exceed the recommended daily allowances for each nutrient. This is to ensure that the cancer cells are not winning in the battle inside the body and that newer cells are produced to replenish the ones destroyed by the cancer cells.

Cancer is a very serious disease. As such, patients should regular see their doctors to ensure that their health is monitored all the time. Vitamins, no matter how essential they are, are good supplements for the actual medications given by the doctor. They should not, in any way, replace them.

Cancer Cure, Prevention, Treatments and Diet

2008-04-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

The dream of curing cancer is no longer a dream. Alternative cancer cures are being hushed because drug companies wants no competition. The foremost step to curing cancer is to get as far away from American pharmaceutical medicine as possible! The horrible truth is that curing cancer is no longer about the cure or the patient, but about greed and politics. For instance, doctors prescribe high cost treatments that haven't been tested or uncertain in the effectiveness of curing cancer, and in some circumstances are, without doubt, cancerous themselves.

How long is it going to take before Americans will ultimately stop supporting the cancer industry at the expense of thousands and thousands of lives each year, and begin to be arduous about cancer prevention and the true cures that exist already. Cancer prevention and cures are simply a threat to the cancer industry. The prevention, cure and cause of one kind of cancer also applies to other kinds and possibly all degenerative diseases as well. Cures are now realistic because we have learned what triggers cancer and we also know how to stop these deadly diseases in their tracks.

If you or a loved one are facing a frightening diagnosis of cancer and are feeling pressured into using mainstream conventional treatments, such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, you are not alone. The less you know about cancer, the easier it will be for the cancer industry to manipulate you and seduce you into their system of harmful treatments. Too many people have watched loved ones miserably die after suffering the horrible side effects of toxic conventional methods. More and more are turning to alternative methods instead. The pharmaceutical industry uses their huge amounts of money to pay others to keep quiet and crush the truth about alternative treatments for cancer. Until a medical facility is established that incorporates all potential therapies into individualized treatments, cancer patients, along with their families, must become self empowered and fully educated about their disease. Medical treatments do retard disease progression, but have done little to prolong life.

The AMA tries to discredit all of these alternative therapies and at the same time is making a fortune managing all of these diseases that are easily preventable and curable if people will just turn to therapies like raw or slightly cooked foods and eliminate all animal products and processed foods from their diets. Diet, exercise, reducing exposure to environmental risks and not smoking will greatly improve your over all health. Eating foods of different colors will have a tremendous effect in preventing and curing cancer. Curing cancer is very easy when you make fundamental changes to your diet and lifestyle.

The fiber content of our diets began going down as we began eating more and more refined foods. A high fiber diet moves through the intestines faster and easier and produces a soft stool that is easy to discharge. A low fiber diet, on the other hand, will produce adverse effects. A high fat diet may play a part in the development of particular cancers. An alkaline diet is composed of very little meat and sugar and lots of fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet is fat and sodium restricted and high in vitamins, minerals and nutrients. A diet lacking in basic nutrients can weaken the immune function and raise the risk of several types of cancer. Natural cancer cures are being squashed because drug companies do not welcome competition. If you are going to be healthy, you must acknowledge your human nature as well as how you interact with the natural world around you.

A variety of alternative treatments exist, although you are unlikely to hear much about it from your doctor. Many of the treatments consist of every day foods. Many cancer cures are accredited to going on a total fruit and vegetable juice diet. Every one should know that most cancer research is mostly a fraud and that large cancer research organizations are dedicated in their duties to the people who support them. After all, natural cancer cures are a curse to Big Medicine, Big Pharmacies and the governments who are heavily under their influence. This is why so many cancer cures are being ignored by the medical profession.

Stay Alert to Cervical Cancer

2008-04-27T23:42:00.000-07:00

Every two minutes a woman died because of cervical cancer.

In some countries cervical cancer is the number one cancer occurred to woman. Poor knowledge of women to this cancer is the main trigger of rapid incidence of the disease.

Every woman - without reference to age and background- can be incured by cervical cancer, the cancer that caused by infection of human papilloma virus (HPV).

In Pacific Asia about 266.000 cases of cervical cancer can be found every year, 143.000 of them passed away in productive age.

In developing countries only 41% of patients of cervical cancer will get the treatment which they require to get healing.

Combination of early detection through screening and vaccination can depress the number of occurence of cervical cancer to woman.

Cervical cancer really influences the quality of a woman life and her closest environment: her family. In consequence, each woman has to alert to cervical cancer by knowing the disease, its detection and prevention accurately.

Early Detection
There is no symptom of cervical cancer in early stage. But it can be detected, that is by conducting Pap Smears. The advantage of Pap Smears is to find the cancer earlier so the management will much easier and the woman has a better quality of life.A woman should do Pap Smears one year after she is sexually active, and repeats it regularly every year. There are 100 types of HPV identified and most of them are not harmful and also do not show the symptom. Fourty types of HPV may be contagious through sexual intercourse; they are classified into two groups: HPV causing cancer and low risk HPV.

Every woman is having the risk of being infected by cervical cancer during their life without reference to age and life style. HPV easily infected through skin contact and sexual intercourse. Condom use cannot lessen the risk of spreading HPV.

About 50-80% women are infected by HPV through sexual contact. About 50% of the infection is potencial to grow to be cancer. The risk is started from the very first sexual contact.

Not likely other viruses, if a woman is infected by HPV, it does not mean that she will have immunity to the virus. The woman remains to have risks to get the repeated infection from same or different types of HPV.

Vaccination
Other prevention is conducting HPV vaccination. In this time there is available vaccine of type 16 HPV and type 18 HPV. These types are responsible to 70% cases of cervical cancer in Asia.

Vaccine will improve the ability of immune system to recognize and to kill the virus when it enters the body before the occurance of infection.

Vaccination combined with screening can lessen the risk of cervical cancer better than only screening.

Easy Ways To Deal With Skin Cancer Side Effects

2008-03-31T05:27:00.000-07:00

Sufferings from side effects are very common when undergoing a treatment for skin cancer. This is more common if you are receiving radiation treatments or chemotherapy. One tends to suffer from several skin conditions such as rashes, redness, acne, peeling and dryness frequently. Some skin cancer patients may also feel that they are more sensitive to sunlight. Other may observe their nails becoming brittle and dark.

However, there is nothing to panic because consistent consultation with your health care team can cure some of these side effects and may also treat them.

Here are some great tips to deal with certain side effects one may face during the treatment of skin cancer:

a) You can easily deal with rashes and itches via powdering your body with corn starch.

b) Take frequent showers and use a moisturizing soap to relieve dry skin problems. You must avoid long hot baths. Hot baths only necessary when you are or an oatmeal treatment.

c) It would not be wise to use any products on your skin. The products you must avoid must include cologne, perfume, after shave lotion and all products containing alcohol. These products can dry out your skin. Also avoid using all types of astringents including witch hazel.

d) Inform your doctor immediately about any pain or burning sensation on your skin while on IV drugs. Pain or burning sensation is an indication that medicine is leaking out the veins.

e) Ask your doctor whether you can take B vitamins to deal with brittle or darkened finger or toe nails. You can also protect your nails via wearing proper gloves or foot wear when working or gardening

f) You need to take certain precaution while going outside once you find yourself hyper sensitive to sunlight. Wear good sunscreen, wear protective clothing. Also use lip balms to deal with this side effects.

g) Keep visiting an oncologist or dermatologist about your progress during the treatment.

h) You should avoid tanning beds and heat lamps at tanning salons. The ultraviolet ray coming out of these heat lamps (UV-A rays) can easily penetrate in to the skin deeper as compared to UV-B rays that come from sunlight.

i) Take supplements for vitamin A or D. Try using dairy products enriched with vitamin A and D.

j) Ask for certain creams and moisturizers that may be effective against the dryness due to skin cancer treatment.

k) Keep your face clean and dry if you are suffering from acne due to skin cancer treatment. Ask your doctor in charge to prescribe you some medicated creams or soaps for the same.

l) Always apply cream and lotion while your skin is still moist to combat dryness.

m) A colloid oatmeal bath or diphenhydramine for generalized purities resulting from the treatment of skin cancer.

n) Buy nail-strengthening products.

o) Avoid going out in the sunlight between 10: 00 a.m. and 4: 00 p.m.

p) Always wear long-sleeve cotton shirts, pants and hats with a wide brim. These hats will help you to get some relief from hair loss via blocking the harmful ultraviolet sun rays.

q) Keep informing your doctor about any inconvenience that you face during the skin cancer treatment.

Foods That Help During Skin Cancer Treatment

2008-03-31T05:25:00.000-07:00

When undergoing skin cancer treatment, it is important to take special care of diet you take. However, in most cases, it becomes very difficult to focus on eating the right type of foods when undergoing cancer treatments. It becomes more difficult when you undergo radiation treatment or chemotherapy.

This therapy may dramatically affect your appetite. You need for counseling so that you can get proper nutritional supplements to make you feel stronger and feel faster during the treatment of skin cancer.

Here are certain foods and supplements to help you eat properly during skin cancer treatment:

a) Vitamin C

You should focus on eating foods rich in Vitamin C. Eat a lot of broccoli, spinach as well as citrus fruits. You should also consult your doctor about the fact whether taking a good amount of vitamin C will help. Experts believe that vitamin C speeds up the healing process soon after biopsy or an excision.

b) Vitamin A and D supplements

Eating foods rich in vitamin A and D will help a lot in your skin cancer treatment. Since people undergoing skin cancer are forbidden to go under direct sunlight, supplements for vitamin D become an important addition to the diet.

c) Fruits and Vegetables You should eat a lot of fresh organic fruits and vegetables. Also drink a lot of water. Any amount of dehydration in the body can prove harmful, if you are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments. This can eventually result in serious side effects such as dry itchy skin, acne, rashes and peeling.

d) Raw food

Experts feel that eating raw food helps in treating a lot of disease. It also helps in enhancing the effects of skin cancer treatment. Raw foods are expert in killing cancer cells. When food is cooked, about 100% of all enzymes in a food are killed. This is because most foods contain necessary enzymes required to digest the food. Cooking food burdens body and disrupts many items reaching the body. Cooking food actually damage, the overall value of the food in several ways. Hence, it is important to eat vegetables in raw forms.

e) Juice Vegetables and Fruits

There are several benefits of juicing vegetables and fruits. First and foremost, juicing allows the nutrients more digestible and removes obstructing fibers. Another main advantage is that when you juice fruits and vegetables, you tend to have a lot more vegetables and fruits than normally. Juices play vital role in treating skin cancer.

f) Specific Vegetable Juices

Certain vegetable juices are very healthy and helpful in treating skin cancer. You may also go for vegetable juice by mixing carrot juice, beetroot juice, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.

Treatment Options For Skin Cancer

2008-03-31T05:22:00.000-07:00

Most people are unable to treat skin cancer on time because they do not come to know that they have skin cancer. Certain outgrowths, moles and discoloration on the skin are taken as normal skin problems. When someone is confirmed about his or her illness related to skin cancer, the panic starts.

However, there is absolutely no need to panic about skin cancer as there are a lot of treatments available.

First and foremost, you need to speak to your skin doctor to determine the actual problem you are suffering from. Your physicians would like to take details regarding a lot of events related to you such as your age, medical history, extent of the disease, tolerance for a certain medication, therapy or procedure and your overall opinion for the problem that exists.

- There are many treatment options available for skin cancer. Here is a list of some great treatment options which will be considered:

a) Surgery

b) Radiation therapy

c) Electrochemo therapy

d) Immunotherapy

e) Hyperthermia

f) Photodynamic therapy

g) Nutritional therapy

h) Pain management

i) Naturopathy

j) Psycho-neuroimmunology

k) Spiritual support therapy

l) Biological therapy

Let us discuss the therapies mentioned above in detail:

a) Surgery

Surgery is the oldest existing form of treatment for skin cancer. The treatment eliminates the tumor as well as certain adjacent healthy tissues. This stops the cancer from spreading further. Some doctors also use skin peel such as the TCA skin peel that has been quite effective in treating skin cancer.

There are different types of surgeries used to treat skin cancer such as cryosurgery, electro-desiccation and curettage, grafting, laser therapy, Mohs micrographic surgery, simple excision. Cryosurgery is used to freeze the tumor. This helps in exterminating cancer cells. Electro-desiccation and curettage burns the lesion and eliminates it with a sharp instrument. Grafting is another type of surgery where a skin graft is used to replace damaged skin while removing the cancer.

The Mohs micrographic surgery is helpful in removing the cancer. A microscope is used to inspect the cancerous area in order to ensure that none of the cancer cells are present. The process of simple excision cutting the cancer from the skin and some of the healthy tissue round it.

b) Radiation therapy

This is a therapy that emits X-rays in order to exterminate cancer cells and also to shrink tumors. The therapy is conducted with the help of a radiation machine. It can be applied to any part of the body successfully to get good results.

c) Electro-chemotherapy

This therapy uses a combination of chemotherapy as well as electrical pulses in order to treat cancer.

d) Chemotherapy

This therapy for skin cancer treats by providing several cancer fighting drugs in the body. These drugs tend to exterminate cancer cells via hampering their development and regeneration.

e) Immunotherapy

It treats skin cancer via enhancing the immune system of the body with certain doses of tumor vaccines, interferon-Alfa and interleukins-2.

f) Photo-dynamic therapy

It is a new cancer therapy. An injection of photofrin is given to the patient once the cancer cell is subject to a laser beam.

Sign Of Skin Cancer

2008-03-31T05:21:00.000-07:00

People are becoming more aware of the dangers of skin cancer. There are large public awareness campaigns on television and radio mainly aimed at teaching people prevention techniques rather than treatment or diagnosis of skin cancer. It is sensible to heed this advice because preventing skin cancer is a better long term solution than treatment or cure. However, part of skin cancer prevention is to examine the body from time to time for any sign of skin cancer. This article will cover some of the common signs to look out for.

It is important to examine your body from time to time. Pay special attention to areas that are exposed to sunlight regularly. This means the face, neck, arms and legs. Look at other parts of the body in the mirror. If you work outdoors, have sensitive skin or were burned by the sun often in childhood then you should be extra vigilant.

You will never be able to conclusively diagnose skin cancer but you may be able to raise concerns that can then be followed up by a visit to a skin specialist or your local doctor. Here are a few things to look out for.

First up, always look for new moles or moles that are growing larger or darker than they previously were. This is usually a sign that you may have a case of malignant melanoma developing, as this type of skin cancer usually takes the form of a common mole before it turns into something more serious.

Another warning sign that you should be aware of is the development of any open wounds on your body in places where you have become sunburn or places that may have experienced a lot of sun over the years. These sores may bleed or be filled with pus at times. They will have irregular edges which may mean that the cancerous cells are spreading. This is a bad sign and should be followed up by a visit to the doctor.

Skin Cancer Cure

2008-03-31T05:18:00.002-07:00

Cancer has proved to be a difficult disease to cure, and this applies to many forms of cancer, including skin cancer. The most serious form of cancer is malignant cancer. It is almost always fatal if not detected early and treated. It is characterized by the ability to grow and divide at an abnormal rate, to destroy healthy cells around it and to spread to other parts of the body. Benign cancer is different because it does not spread and thus it can be treated effectively. Cancer occurs when the body is exposed to a carcinogen or because of some hereditary reason. This is partly why it is almost impossible to cure cancer as it is essentially the mutation of the body's cells by some external force like radiation in the case of skin cancer. Consequently much research into cancer has focused on detection and treating of cancer. The same applies for skin cancer. Although there is not a definitive cure for skin cancer there are a number of treatments that are highly effective in eradicating the disease from the body.

Common treatments for skin cancer involve freezing the cancerous cells or cutting them away from the body. In the case of a benign cancer like basal cell carcinoma this could be seen as a cure as it stops the cancer at that location. However continued exposure to the sun could cause other benign cancers to appear at different parts of the body. They could also be cut away.

Malignant cancers, like melanoma are also treated by using liquid nitrogen or by cutting out in the early stages. However it is not always clear whether all the cancerous cells have been removed and they could continue to develop and spread.

Unfortunately, none of these skin cancer removal techniques can really be considered a cure. Liquid nitrogen may not penetrate deeply enough to kill all of the cells - allowing the cancer to come back, and even surgery may leave a rogue cell or two behind, also allowing the cancer to return. Thus while skin cancer treatments are not really a cure for skin cancer they are highly effective. They are also easy to do and can be completed within 30 minutes to an hour depending on the type of cancer.

Skin Cancer On Nose

2008-03-31T05:18:00.001-07:00

Areas of the body that are commonly exposed to the sun are the most likely areas where you may develop a form of skin cancer. It is almost impossible for the face, and nose in particular, to not be exposed to the sun unless you wear a veil or mask all the time. This is not really practical in many societies and consequently the nose is often afflicted by skin cancer.

The good news about this is that it is generally easy to detect a change in the nose, be it a lump, sore or blemish because the face is one part of the body that everybody examines on a regular basis. This means that early detection of sin cancer on the nose is almost always certain and can be treated with maximum effectiveness.

The bad news is that you are not the only one that will notice a sore on the nose, and it may become a source of embarrassment to you when other people notice it. This may lead to self esteem issues and other psychological problems. Although these are valid problems that should be dealt with, treating the nose of a potentially fatal disease is the utmost priority. Telling people about the condition is a good way to raise the awareness of a disease that it becoming more prevalent.

However, it is necessary that you take action quickly when it comes to skin cancer on your nose. Even if it is a benign cancer it can look bad and if it is a melanoma it can spread to other parts of the body and treatment becomes far more problematic.

The first thing you should do if you feel like you have one of the warning signs for skin cancer on the nose is to go see your local dermatologist or general physician immediately. As with any cancer, the sooner you catch it - the better. And it is always best to get cancer surgery, if necessary, before the cancer grows to a larger, more noticeable size. Your doctor will be able to walk you through all of the information that you need, so do not be worried about not knowing what the proper procedures will be to cure you of your cancer.

Most often, your skin cancer will be destroyed by a freezing or can be cut out with a hot knife. Only persistent cancers such as malignant melanoma and larger sores attributed to the other two types of skin cancer will require surgery - and even then, the surgery is very quick and easy. All in all, if you have skin cancer on nose, no matter which kind of cancer it is, chances are that your doctor will choose to use the least invasive method possible in order to cure your cancer correctly the first time without causing noticeable scarring.

Types Of Skin Cancer

2008-03-31T05:16:00.002-07:00

The three types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

The first two are relatively inert in that they do not spread. Melanoma however has the potential to spread throughout the body and thus is the most dangerous of these three types of skin cancer. It can spread to the lymph nodes and other organs of the body. When this occurs then treatment becomes difficult. This article will describe each type of skin cancer in more detail.
Basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common of the three types of skin cancer. It generally does not spread throughout the body so is easy to treat. Treatment involves freezing, burning or even cutting out the carcinoma. This can be done using a local anesthesia and be completed in 3 minutes. A typical basal cell carcinoma will be a waxy bump or a brownish scar on any part of the body. However it is more common on the face and neck or even the upper body and chest.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This type of skin cancer is also relatively common. Again it rarely spreads to other parts of the body from the infected area but is more likely to spread than basal cell carcinoma. A typical squamous cell carcinoma will be a red nodule that will be firm to the touch. As it develops the area around the nodule will harden and become scaly. It is also commonly found on the face, neck and other areas that are exposed to the sun regularly. This type of skin cancer can also be treated by freezing or cutting out. Like the basal type it can be completed in the doctors surgery in around 30 minutes.
Melanoma

Melanoma is the least common type of skin cancer. It is also the most serious because it is the most likely to spread to other parts of the body. Once this occurs the disease can infect internal organs or the lymph nodes and it becomes very hard to treat. Melanomas are typically characterized by dark blemishes or moles. They change color or shape over time. It is often difficult to detect the early signs of melanoma so screening is important. This is best done by a professional skin specialist or your own doctor. You can do this yourself but the chances are that you will miss a blemish or will not recognize it for what it is.

If you spend a lot of time in the sun or your skin type makes you susceptible to skin cancer then it is a good idea to make regular screening a part of your lifestyle.

Tips For Preventing Skin Cancer

2008-03-31T05:16:00.001-07:00

Skin cancer is a dangerous disease. It is important to get it checked as soon as you discover some of the symptoms that indicate skin cancer. However, as the experts have always said, 'prevention is better than cure.' You should focus on prevention skin cancer from attacking your skin. There are several ways to prevent skin cancer.

First and foremost, you should take special care to limit your exposure to Ultra Violet rays of the sun. Exposure of skin to these rays increases the risk of developing skin cancer. You must avoid going out in the sun between 11: 00 a.m. and 4: 00 p.m. If you have to go out in the sun, make sure that you take necessary precaution to protect yourself from the harmful ultra-violet rays of sun.

Apply a good sunscreen with high SPF or sun protection factor. Try to apply sun screen generously before going out in the sun. Don't forget to reapply the sunscreen after every half an hour.

A lot of studies in this regard have proved that applying a good sunscreen can prevent skin cancer. Try to dress in dark colors. Also wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and surrounding tissues from absorbing the harmful ultra-violet rays of the sun.

Most people are under a notion that a tanning bed can be safe option. This is a wrong notion. A tanning bed can prove to be more dangerous than exposing your skin to sun's rays. The best method is to use a sunless tanning lotion. You can purchase it from any of the local department store. It is available in different varieties for different skin types. However, remember that a sunless tan lotion will not provide you SPF protection. You need to see the label in order to make sure that a sunless tan lotion is providing an SPF.

When it comes to skin cancer, anyone can develop skin cancer. It does not attack any particular age, race or skin type. The disease also does not spread according to a particular geographical location. However, certain skin types are more vulnerable to skin cancer as compared to others. People with fair skin, light hair and light eye color or a large number of moles or freckles are more vulnerable to skin cancer.

If some one in your family suffers from skin cancer. It is more likely that you may develop this disease.

Here are some tips to prevent skin cancer:

• Tip 1

You should know about the genetic factor such as fair skin, light-colored eyes, a lot of moles or freckles or even a tendency to develop sun burn easily.

• Tip 2

Do not spend a lot of time outdoors. If you had a serious sun burn at a certain point in your life, went to a tanning salon or used a tanning bed, you may develop skin cancer. Visit a skin specialist as a precautionary step.

• Tip 3

Always use sunscreen and lip balm when going outside. Make sure that you wear protective clothing and good quality sunglasses.

• Tip 4

Have a diet rich in antioxidants as it will support your immune system.

• Tip 5

Avoid sun tanning, tanning beds or tanning salons.

• Tip 6

Keep checking your body regularly for any moles lesions or skin irregulation.

Limit exposure to reflective surfaces such as snow, water, concrete and sand. Remember that water activities can increases exposure to reflective UV rays.

Symptoms Of Skin Cancer

2008-03-31T05:15:00.000-07:00

Skin cancer, like many forms of cancer, has no common symptoms that will make it obvious that you have a form of the disease. Only in the later stages of skin cancer will you start to feel lethargic but by this stage you will no doubt be aware of the condition. Indeed the best way to guard against skin cancer is to check the body from time to time for any changes in the skin. This article will cover the three types of skin cancer and the kind of changes to look out for. Changes in the condition of the skin could be symptoms of skin cancer but it is very hard for the layman to arrive at a decision based on this. If you have a concern about a part of the skin then you should consult a doctor.

Types of Skin Cancer

The first type of cancer is known as basal cell carcinoma. The typical signs of basal skin cancer are waxy or pearly bumps that can occur anywhere on the body. However areas that are more frequently exposed to the sun, like the face, arms and legs should be checked more often. It might also show up on your back or chest as a scar-like spot that can be flesh-colored or brown. This is the most common type of skin cancer and is treatable. It doesn't usually spread so if caught should be easy to treat.

The second type of cancer is known as squamous cell carcinoma. It is characterized by symptoms like a red nodules or a scaly lesion. Again it can show up on any part of the body but the face, arms and legs are most exposed to it. This type of cancer is also not prone to spreading, although the frequency of spreading is slightly higher than that of basal cell carcinoma. It is also a cancer that can easily be treated effectively.

The third type of skin cancer is known as melanoma, and is considered to be the rarest type of skin cancer. It is also the most serious. Symptoms of skin cancer for melanoma include a mole that can be located anywhere on your body. Check your skin for new moles. Check existing moles for any noticeable changes like an increase in size or a change in color. For instance, a melanoma can look like a large brown spot with darker speckles inside it. Lesions with irregular borders or more than one color are also signs of melanoma.

If you notice any unusual spots or moles anywhere on your body, or if a current mole changes at all, it is important to see your doctor for a professional examination. While melanoma can be more serious, it is still 99% treatable when caught in the early stages.
Prevention and Screening

Of course it is not always easy to notice small changes on your body, like a small mole, especially if you have lots of freckles. If this is the case then visiting a specialist who can examine your body is good advice. They will be more experienced at identifying unwelcome spots and blemishes and detect the early signs of skin cancer.

This is also the case if you job is spent outdoors or you spend a lot of time in the sun. Good advice is to get your skin checked out once every 6 months or so.

Other than that, you should protect the body from the sun as much as possible. Always wear high factor (SPF 15+) sunscreen, eye protection, a hat and a long sleeve shirt.
Summary

Skin cancer can be effectively treated in most cases if it is identified in the early stages.

Screen your body for new moles or blemishes.

If you do not feel confident in doing this then get a regular check up with your doctor.

Prevention is just as important as monitoring. Always wear good sunscreen at the very least, if out in the sun. A hat, long sleeved shirt and sunglasses should also be worn.

Information on Skin Cancer - Preventing Common Skin Diseases

2008-03-31T05:13:00.000-07:00

Although it is not clear what has changed in recent times, it seems that skin cancer is far more common now. I think it is a combination of things. Firstly, research into skin cancer and how to care for skin has increased our understanding of the disease. This has increased the number of awareness campaigns so that the average person is more conscious of skin cancer and what are the main causes. People will now check their skin and see their doctor if they have a concern. This may raise the number of cases being diagnosed but it also means more are being treated, and, in most of these cases, successfully. This article will give you some information on skin cancer and hopefully raise awareness of the issues involved.

Skin cancer is a disease where cancer cells form on the outer layers of the skin. In most cases the cancer cells stay there and are easy to treat. However some will spread and can start to form on internal organs. This is when skin cancer becomes really serious and can be fatal if not treated.

There are three types of cancer. The most common form is known as basal cell carcinoma. Most people are diagnosed with this form of the disease. It rarely spreads and is easy to treat.

Squamous cell carcinoma is also a common skin cancer. It is more common for this form of the disease to spread but usually to other skin cells close to it. Again, if caught early it is fairly easy to treat.

Melanoma is the third type of skin cancer and is far less common. It is also the most serious form of the disease because it is often malignant. It will spread to other parts of the body, including internally, affecting vital organs. It is also harder to detect by personal examination.

Signs and Symptoms

There are a multitude of different signs and symptoms that can develop. The overriding advice in spotting skin cancer is that if you notice an unusual mark on your skin that doesn't go away or appears to be getting bigger then you should consult your doctor or a skin cancer professional.

Information on skin cancer confirms that a growth, an abnormal accumulation of cells, even a pimple that does not go away can be typical early signs of the disease. These marks normally occur on areas of the skin that are exposed to sunlight, like the face, neck, back and arms. However they can appear anywhere on the body.

Malignant melanoma will typically look like a brown spot or mole on the skin. This is often very hard to spot as many people are born with moles on their skin and get more as they grow older. If you notice a brown mark or mole on your skin that appears to be getting bigger then you should consult a professional for a proper diagnosis.

There is no guaranteed way to prevent skin cancer, however avoiding ultra-violet (UV) radiation is the best way to prevent it developing. You should avoid appliances like sun tanning beds that give off ultra-violet rays. The sun is the main source of UV rays and it is virtually impossible to avoid these rays (and in limited quantities sunlight is beneficial to the health). However when you are in the sun you should protect you skin. This can involve wearing clothes like long sleeve shirts, wide brimmed hats and sunscreen. You should also wear sunglasses for the eyes.

Childhood Lymphoma

2008-03-14T08:09:00.001-07:00

The term childhood lymphoma refers to cancers that originate in the body's lymphatic tissues during childhood and include the lymph nodes, thymus, spleen, tonsils, adenoids, and bone marrow, as well as the lymph vessels that attach them. Although there are many types of cancer that eventually spread to parts of the lymphatic system, lymphomas are distinctive because they originate there. Statistics report that there are about 1,700 children below 20 years of age who are diagnosed with lymphoma each year in the United States. Childhood lymphomas are divided into two basic categories, Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, based on the appearance of their cancerous cells, and is the third most common type of cancer in children.

Some of the children have other nonspecific symptoms, such as fatigue, poor appetite, itching, or hives. They also show symptoms such as unexplained fever, night sweats, and weight loss.

In the United States, there are nearly 500 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma detected each year in children. This disease occurs generally after 3 years of age in children. NHL is more common than Hodgkin's disease in children younger than 15 years of age.

Although there are no lifestyle factors that have been definitely linked to childhood lymphomas, children who have received either chemotherapy or radiation treatments for other types of cancer are at a greater risk of developing lymphoma. The first important step in the diagnosis of the enlarged lymph node is a biopsy that involves the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the body.

Treatment of childhood lymphoma is largely determined by staging, a way to classify patients as per the spread of the disease at the time of diagnosis.

There are four stages of lymphoma, ranging from Stage I to Stage IV. This stage at diagnosis guides medical professionals deciding the type of therapy and helps doctors in prognosis. Treatment involves radiation, chemotherapy or both, depending on the type and stage of the cancer as well as the age and health of the child.

Monoclonal Antibody - Alternatives for Treating Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

2008-03-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or NHL is a serious affection which occurs due to the presence of B cells (B lymophocytes), a type of white blood cells which usually lead to severe complications such as tumors. Even though, treatments with chemotherapy and radiation are considered effective for many people who suffer from NHL, on the other hand for many pantients these procedures can be very toxic.

In addition to this, specialists have developed in the laboratories a new theraphy to treat NHL, a theraphy known as Monoclonal-antibody which has been proved to be safe and effective for certain patients. As we know the body produces antibodies, substances which have the role to fight against bacteria and viruses. Moreover, monoclonal antibodies have been produced in laboratories like many other antibodies and have the role in producing anti-tumor effects. Since most NHL patients have B cells, treatment with monoclonal-antibodies has brought important results in healing lymphoma and much more they have been prescribed with other toxin or radioactive particles that usually kill cells.

Furthermore, monoclonal antibody treatments usually include medications as Rituxan or Bexxar. First of all, treatments with Rituxan are considered very effective for people who suffer from NHL and may be used for other types of lymphomas too. Rituxan is the only monoclonal antibody treatment approved for NHL and most of the time has been studied in patients that have relapsed low grade NHL. Moreover, it can be taken without other medicines and it is usually given intravenously once a week for 4 weeks. In contrast to other procedures, Rituxin doesn't offer serious side effects such as hair loss, vomiting, and low blood counts.

Secondly, another monoclonal antibody which is being tested in laboratories is Bexxar. This medicine is a murine monoclonal antibody and doesn't have a naked form due to the presence of a radiocative iodine molecule which is attached to it. Just like Rituxan, this agent is administered intravenous with the first dose having a trace amount of radioactivity and the second dose containing most of the radioactive iodine. On the other hand, Bexxar has some negative aspects, such as fever, chills or shakes and in some cases NHL patients may have temporary drop in blood counts.

Thirdly, another monoclonal antibody which has been studied as NHL treatments is Oncolym. This agent has been studied in a radiolabeled form like Bexxar and has proved to be toxic like other radiolabeled antibodies. In contrast, LL2 is a humanized antibody, using a naked, unlabeled form as well as a radiolabeled form.

To conclude, monoclonal antibodies can be very effective in treating NHL due to their low toxicity and also the advantage of combining them with each other and also by using them in combination with chemotherapy or other procedures. It is important to say that people who suffer from NHL should be aware of their condition and become well-informed in order to follow the suitable treatment.

Stages and Procedures Regarding AIDS-related Lymphoma

2008-03-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

AIDS-related lymphoma can be diagnosed by performing a serie of tests known as staging too. Much more, by doing these tests the patient can find out if cancer cells have spread within the body, affecting other organs as well. It is important to know that the tests may easily confirm the stage of the disease and in this way the physician can prescriebe the appropriate treatment. Moreover, AIDS-related lymphoma is usually diagnosed when the illness is already advanced.

To begin with, a first common procedure to find malignant tumor cells in the body is called PET scan (positron emission tomography scan). Firstly, this procedure involves the injection of radionuclide glucose into the vein in order to show in a picture made by the PET scanner where the glucose is being used in the body. So, by scanning the body, the malign tumor cells become brighter because they are more active and take up more sugar than other healthy cells.

Secondly, another well known procedure is CT scan also called computed tomography or computerisez axial tomography. CT scan is a procedure that makes a serie of pictures of the areas inside the body, showing a clear image of the organs and tissues. Moreover, a common procedure is Bone marrow biopsy which includes the removing of a small piece of bone marrow and bone from the hipbone or breatsbone in order to be examined under a microscope.

Furthermore, stages of AIDS-related lymphoma may include E which means that the cancer is found in an area or organ other than the lymph nodes or has spread to tissues beyond and S stands for spleen and means the cancer affected the spleen. In addition to this there are 4 stages which are used for AIDS-related that indicate the place where the cancer can be found, lymph nodes, organs other than the lymph nodes, near the diaphragm or spleen.

It is considered that people who suffer from Epstein-Barr virus or whose AIDS-related lymphona usually affects the bone marrow and in some cases may lead to complications, such as the spreading of cancer to the central nervous system.(CNS). Much more, CNS lymphoma which starts in other parts of the body is not considered primary as the CNS lymphoma that starts in the brain and spinal cord.

Diagnosing Lymphoma

2008-03-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Lymphoma is one of the few types of cancer that can develop and grow in the body without an individual knowing and it is only when the cancer spreads around the body to other organs that obvious symptoms become apparent. There are a number of symptoms that are commonly associated with lymphoma, such as swollen lymph glands, chronic fatigue, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, however all of these symptoms can and often are caused by much less serious conditions such as a simple infection or the flu.

When the symptoms persist however most sufferers go to the doctor and although the doctor might have suspicions as to their cause he will undoubtedly send the individual for a series of diagnostic tests before confirming the presence of lymphoma. These diagnostic tests may include:

Blood tests
Because lymphoma affects the lymphocyte cells that travel in the blood stream, performing microscopic analysis of these cells can show if they are abnormal in shape and size or if they are present in very large numbers. Occasionally the cancerous lymphocytes will still be confined to the lymph glands and so will not show under the microscope however even during this early stage they release chemicals that are known as cancer markers and specific tests on blood can identify these markers.

CT and MRI scans
These are very high definition imaging techniques that can show just how large a tumor has grown and where in the body secondary tumors have spread to, if indeed they have spread. If the primary lymphoma tumor is in a position to be removed by surgery i.e. by removing the affected lymph glands, then the imaging techniques can help to identify possible complications before the surgery begins so that the surgeon doesn’t encounter anything unexpected. They can also help to show how other lymphoma treatments are working because any shrinkage in the tumor size will be apparent when two separate images, taken at different times, are compared.

X-rays
X-rays are commonly used in the diagnosis of lymphoma because when a radioactive agent is injected into the blood stream it causes any abnormal or cancerous cells to glow brightly on the X-ray film. By performing a torso scan i.e. of the major organs, any affected areas can easily be identified and the cancer specialist can get a good idea of the extent of the lymphoma and what treatment will be most appropriate.

Bone and liver biopsies
When other diagnostic tests have been performed and the lymphoma has been identified as late stage then bone and liver biopsies may be carried out. This involves a very thin slither of either bone or liver tissue being taken with a hollow needle and the resulting tissue is examined with a microscope. Generally if cancerous cells are found in either of the two sites then the lymphoma is deemed incurable and any treatment offered will be palliative i.e. it will make life more comfortable and it may prolong life for a short period of time.

Lymphoma can be a difficult cancer to treat and so it is important that it is diagnosed early. Some of the diagnostic tests are uncomfortable however they are much more preferable to endless rounds of chemotherapy and the adverse side effects that accompany it.

How To Stop Lymphoma Ruling Your Life

2008-03-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

Being diagnosed with lymphoma will be incredibly stressful and when treatment starts it may be that you are at the hospital five days a week for up to eight weeks at a time. Obviously this is going to put immense pressure on both you and your family and so the times in between treatment courses should be enjoyed as much as possible so that your lymphoma doesn’t completely take over your life.

You may want to book your dream vacation or visit all the places you have always wanted to see. Life is short at the best of times and being diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease means that your life may be shorter than normal, thus you should try to fit in as many fun times as you can while you can.

You don’t have to travel around the world to have fun – a day in the park or a trip to the wildlife sanctuary can also be a lot of fun, especially when you take your family, and spending time with your loved ones will often give you the extra strength you need to fight your disease. As you continue with your treatment you may find that you get tired more quickly but that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to have fun. Playing board games with friends and family can create a lot of laughter and this in itself will help to lift your spirits.

Maybe you could take up a new hobby that gets you out of the house a few times a week and allows you to make new friends that don’t know about your lymphoma. Just feeling and acting normal will help you to forget about your condition for a couple of hours and you may also meet people who give you a new perspective on life so that some of your stress becomes easier to cope with. Do something you have always wanted to do – learn to sail, ice skate or dance; whatever makes you happy. At the end of the day it is your life and you should do whatever you want to do, even if it is out of character or a little bit silly!

Try new foods and visit new restaurants or alternatively learn to cook exquisite meals for you and your family. If cooking isn’t for you then find your own passion and go with it. It doesn’t matter if you embarrass yourself or if you find you’re not a natural – who cares, just have fun with it. Your lymphoma is going to be an important part of your life, as is your treatment, however your state of mind and your happiness are also very important factors and they may help in your recovery.

Do whatever you need to do to stay positive and if this means having copious amounts of fun then so be it. Everybody has something that they find enjoyable however highly energetic activities should be restricted to once or twice a week – after all you don’t want to have to convalesce in bed for weeks on end because you went mad and decided to climb your favorite mountain in two days flat! Just be sensible and if all else fails, have fun.

Treating Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

2008-03-14T07:59:00.002-07:00

Until now, patients suffering of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma were treated with chemotherapy and radiation. In some of the cases the treatment was useful but in most patients treatment was very toxic and did not lead to a cure. The scientists are trying to find a better treatment that will not have such toxic effects on the organism.

Scientists have tested the "Monoclonal-antibody–based" therapy and the conclusions were promising. An antibody is a substance created by the human immune system to fight against foreign germs, viruses and bacterium. Each antibody is designed to recognize a specific target (antigen). When the antibody and the antigen get connected, the immune system is alerted and so it is ready to fight with the foreign substance.

Monoclonal antibodies are made in a laboratory and are all the same and are designed to fight only one type of foreign substance like tumors.

Until now scientists have tested antibodies created by a mouse model, a human model and chimeric (half mouse, half human) and they want to see which one is the most effective against cancer.

Most of the patients diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma are affected by tumors made out of B-cell lymphocytes, and so, monoclonal antibodies are designed to fight these modified B-cells that create tumors.

During tests, a toxic substance designed to kill cancerous cells has been attached to the antibody in order to reach these cells. Also, radio-labeled antibodies were tested to see if they can improve the radiation therapy. The radio-labeled antibodies are nor suitable in the therapy of those who have bone marrow cancer because radiation could cause hematological toxicity.

Since tests begun the only monoclonal antibody approved to be used was Rituxan. The treatment is followed once a week, for a month and the drug is given intravenously. Rituxan does not give such unbearable side effects like radiation or chemotherapy does; its side effects are only chills, fever or shakes. The radio-labeled combination has been tested too and the anti-tumor effects are quite remarkable. The side effects seamed to be manageable.

Bexxar is another monoclonal antibody that is being tested but is not yet approved for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It has a radioactive iodine molecule attached to, and also binds to the surface of B-cells. Side effects are similar to those caused by Rituxan, but the patient is advised to take an oral iodine supplement in order to protect its thyroid from any damage caused by radioactive iodine. Bexxar has been tested on low-grade NHL and one third of the patients had a complete remission, and 70% responded well to the treatment.

It is possible for the patient to develop an immune response against the antibody because this is a foreign substance too, but such cases are rare and appear mostly in the patients that did not have chemotherapy and have a less affected immune system.

Oncolym is another monoclonal antibody that is being tested. Results recommend it for a more aggressive form of NHL.

Before replacing the standard treatment, monoclonal antibodies have to be tested more and secure doses must be established for preventing other damages to install in the human body.

Lymphoma: Who is Susceptible?

2008-03-14T07:59:00.001-07:00

Lymphoma, as with virtually every other form of cancer, can strike anybody at any time during their life however some groups are more susceptible to the disease than others. Studies around the world have shown that age, gender and geographical location affect whether you have a high or low risk of developing lymphoma however there are always exceptions to these suggestions.

Age

Lymphoma is generally regarded as a disease of the elderly and this is true to a certain extent. There are many more cases reported in the over 60s than in the under 60s however this isn’t the only age group that are thought to be at risk. People over the age of 60 often have weaker immune systems than their younger counterparts and so when mutations occur in the DNA of certain cells the body cannot eradicate these defective cells and they go on to multiply and form a cancerous growth. Strong immune systems kill mutated cells before they have the chance to multiply and differentiate which means that younger people are less susceptible to lymphoma.

Unfortunately it would seem that 25-35 year olds also show a marked increase with regards to number of diagnosed lymphoma cases however researchers are still trying to figure out why this is so.

Gender

Studies have shown that men are about three times more likely to suffer from lymphoma than women. Again research is continuing into why this is so however scientists think that female hormones may play a protective role with regards to lymphoma development or alternatively that male hormones make the gender more prone to the disease. As people age the two genders levels out and the probability of a male developing lymphoma is only slightly higher than that of a female developing the disease. This confirms that hormone levels may in fact influence whether a person is susceptible to the disease or not.

Geographical location

It would seem that people living in highly developed countries such as the UK, America, Australia, Germany etc. are at a much higher risk of being diagnosed with lymphoma than those living in places like Africa and Asia. This may have a lot to do with lifestyle and environment i.e. rich fatty foods, air pollution and other carcinogenic agents may decrease a person’s resistance to DNA mutations, however it may also be due to other factors such as natural immunity and the use of prescription drugs. Again nobody knows for sure and more research is still needed.

Even though certain age groups and people in some geographical locations are more susceptible to lymphoma than others, this doesn’t mean that you are exempt from developing the disease if you don’t fall into these categories. Children as young as two years old have been diagnosed with the disease, and so it is obvious that nobody is one hundred percent safe from lymphoma. You should make a point of checking your lymph glands regularly for any signs of swelling and in addition you should definitely consult the doctor should you feel anything wrong.

General aspects of Mantle Cell Lymphoma

2008-03-14T07:58:00.003-07:00

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) takes part to a group of cancers which affect the lymphatic system. This diseases are known as non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The immune system is a part of the lymphatic system. It's role is to protect the body against agents that can determine infection and disease. It is represented by a network of tubular channels called lymph vessels that drain a fluid with a watery aspect known as lymph. Lymph is drained from different areas of the body into the bloodstream. It accumulates in the tiny spaces between tissue cells and contains proteins, fats, and certain white blood cells called lymphocytes.

Lymph circulates through the lymphatic system and it is filtered by small structures called lymph nodes. This filtering helps to remove microorganisms (e.g., viruses, bacteria, etc.) and other foreign bodies that can affect the human body. The lymph nodes are organized in groups and they are located throughout the body, including the neck, under the arms, at the elbows, and in the chest, abdomen, and groin. In the lymphatic nodes are stored the white blood cells called lymphocytes. They may also be found in other lymphatic tissues. The lymphatic system includes mot only the lymphatic nodes, but also the spleen and the tonsils. The role of the spleen is to filter worn-out red blood cells and produces lymphocytes. The tonsils helps to fight infection too. Lymphatic tissues also include the thymus. It is a relatively small organ located behind the breastbone. It is thought to play an important role in the immune system until puberty. Another important role in the immune system is played by the bone marrow, which is the spongy tissue inside the cavities of bones. The bone marrow produces blood cells. Lymphatic tissue and circulating lymphocytes can also be found in other regions of the body, such as the skin, small intestine, liver, and other organs. There are two main types of lymphocytes: B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytess. The B- lymphocytes produces specific antibodies in order to destroy certain invading microorganisms The T-lymphocytes destroy directly the microorganisms or helps the activities of other lymphocytes.

The cause of Mantle cell lymphoma and of the other cancers of the lymphatic system called lymphomas is represented by the errors that can occur in the production of a lymphocyte. This kind of errors determine the lymphocyte to transform into a malignant cell. If there is an abnormal, uncontrolled growth and multiplication of malignant lymphocytes it may lead to the enlargement of a lymph node region or even regions. The malignant process can involve the spleen and bone marrow and spread to other tissues and organs. The results of the malignant proliferation are specific complications that threaten the life of the patient.. The symptoms and physical findings are different from case to case. They depend on the extent and region or regions involved and on different other factors.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are considered to be lymphomas caused by abnormal B-lymphocytes and or derived from abnormal T-lymphocytes. Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a B-cell lymphoma that develops from malignant B-lymphocytes which can be observed in a region of the lymph node called the mantle zone. The Non- Hodgkin's lymphoma may also be described considering certain characteristics of the cancer cells which can be seen under a microscope. it is very important how rapid is their tendance to grow and spread. Non- Hodgkin's lymphoma can be considered a low- grade lymphoma The malignant cells tend to grow and spread slowly. There are few associated symptoms. There are also "intermediate-" or "high-grade" lymphomas in which the malignant cells grow rapidly. This forms require prompt treatment. Experts have classified MCL as an aggressive lymphoma, even if there are some aspects of indolent lymphoma.

According to various studies MCL affects men over the age of 50 years. Many affected patients have widespread disease at diagnosis, with involved regions including multiple lymph nodes, the spleen, and sometimes the bone marrow, the liver, and even regions of the gastrointestinal tract.

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in Children

2008-03-14T07:58:00.001-07:00

Cancer in any of its forms is known to the society as a condition of adults or elder persons; still it can occur at any age even during the care-free childhood period. Children diagnosed with cancer must rapidly grow up and learn hoe to face the illness as well as their parents that will have to be able to care for them.

The most common form of malignant tumors in children is the acute lymphocyte Leukemia and it is known to affect about 2500 pediatric patients every year. The acute forms of Leukemia develop rapidly and spread to the entire body in just a few months if left untreated. Knowing how to recognize the disease seems to be most important as Leukemia can lead to death in a very short time if not treated properly.

Leukemia develops inside the bone marrow and spreads to the lymph nodes, liver, spleen and nervous system. Cancerous marrow cells produce abnormal blood cells; insufficient or inefficient red blood cells lead to anemia, a low number of white blood cells leaves the body helpless to infections, and decreased number of platelets caused bruising and bleedings. General symptoms like headaches, weakness or vomiting also occur when the cancer reaches other main organs.

No way of prevention is known to us today as leukemia cannot be linked to any lifestyle factors. A good life expectation can only be reached if a doctor is seen immediately when symptoms occur and a proper treatment is quickly administered.

The most specific diagnose is the bone marrow biopsy when a small amount of marrow is extracted from the thighbone with a needle. The microscopic examination of the tissue can establish the presence of cancerous cells inside the bone marrow. Further analysis includes blood tests for searching changes in number and function of the three vital blood cells. In Leukemia a risen number of white cells are found together with a decreased number of red ones. Through the blood tests certain diagnose of the particular form of blood cancer can be established.

Cancer cells are dangerous as they divide very quickly and an efficient primer treatment with chemotherapy must stop their multiplication. More types of chemotherapeutics are required to kill all cancerous cells as Leukemia is known to spread very rapidly throughout the whole body. The drug therapy is a long-lasting process and can produce several side-effects such as hair loss, infections, tiredness, nausea, anorexia and vomiting. New ways of therapy are searched that should only affect the cancerous cells unlike conventional drugs. The stem cells transplantation targeting to replace the lost marrow working cellularity seems to give hopeful results.

Blood cancer can reoccur and therefore a treatment with stem cells can give more effective results. If Leukemia cannot be treated, doctors try ways of making the patient’s life with cancer easier by relieving the symptoms. About 85% of the children that have survived 5 years without cancer reoccurring are considered to have been cured.

Decisions Upon Leukemia Treatment

2008-03-14T07:57:00.003-07:00

Very often persons without any disease symptoms whatsoever are diagnosed with chronic myeloid Leukemia during a routine blood testing. Unlike the acute forms of Leukemia, the chronic form develops an increased number of white blood cells which can still work normally in spite of their high rate of division. This aspect is responsible of the mild onset of the disease but the negative impact is due to the impossible stopping of the white cell production.

The most effective treatment in these cases is a bone marrow transplant that still implicates risks that make it inaccessible to many of the Leukemia patients. A series of other different therapy methods are available that mostly implicate high challenges in deciding upon the right one.

The increased production of immunity white blood cells is caused by an abnormal chromosome called Philadelphia that allows the bone marrow to produce irregular cells with a very rapid multiplication rate inside the bloodstream. Most of the chronic myeloid patients are taken by surprise by diagnose as they have no clinical manifestations.

The actual development of the disease is mostly unknown but physicians usually use the number of white blood cells to predict the further course of the Leukemia; a further identification of abnormal cells inside the bone marrow has a negative prognosis. Another important clinical sign is the increase of some organ’s size (especially spleen) due to an accumulation of white cells inside their tissues.

The most efficient treatment is the injection of healthy cells from a compatible donor inside the bone marrow. It has the highest chances of curing the patients but also the most many side-effects. The second therapy method is the targeted therapy with Gleevec but its curative potential is not yet well established as it has been available only since 2001. A treatment way with benefic results until this time is the immune sustaining Interferon. Other possible cures are in course of development but are not yet approved.

Patients requesting a treatment for Leukemia always expect to be cured after the therapy. The most efficient treatment is the bone marrow transplant with also the most high risks and side-effects. Other possible cures are still in process of experimentation and their capacity to provide a definitive cure is unknown. A series of years are required to determine their exact benefit.

A patient choosing to undergo a bone marrow transplant must be matched with an available donor and take a cure with immuno depressives who may cause a series of infections due to the decreased capacity of defense of the organism. A patient must be well informed about the risk and the cure statistics before choosing to suffer a transplant. This therapy is the most appropriate for young patients but is not recommended for elder persons with other pathological conditions.

Hodgkin's Lymphoma, The White Cell Cancer

2008-03-14T07:57:00.001-07:00

Many types of cancer are known our days, but Hodgkin’s disease is one that can be cured if the medical advice and treatment is followed properly. Hodgkin’s disease, named after the physician that identified it, is cancer of the lymphoid tissue. First of all this disease affects the immune defense system, leading to a weak organisms’, unable to fight infectious particles found in human bodies.

In some cases lymphoma develops in organs like stomach or intestines, but mostly in the lymph nodes or the lymphatic tissue.

Two types of lymphoma are known: Hodgkin’s and non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Hodgkin’s disease affects especially old people that are over 60. The malignant cells developed by Hodgkin’s disease are also known as Reed Sternberg cells.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a disease that affects people with weak immune system, and people exposed to the virus called Epstein Barr. It affects people of any age, but most of the cases are seen at old men past 60.

Enlarged lymph nodes and unexpected weight loss are first symptoms for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and for the confirmation of the disease the possible patients should go to a physician. The procedure of illness determination involves a microscopic watch at a sample of the lymph node tissue.

Depending on the stage when it was discovered, this disease can need a complex or a less complex treatment in order to guarantee patients recovery or even life. In advanced stages lymphoma can be discovered not only in lymph nodes, but almost anywhere including patches of lymphatic tissue or, as I said before, in organs like stomach or intestines.

Lymph nodes are located in different parts of the body including the neck, the chest and groin, and the armpit.

Lymphocytes are divided in two groups: B cells and T cells, each one of these groups with different functions.

The B cells or B lymphocytes are meant to produce immune cells. When an infection is found the B cells change in plasma cells that stick to the infection and secretes antibiotics. The T cells or T lymphocytes come to destroy antigens or infected cells. The B and T cells are part of the normal lymphocytes, but the cause for Hodgkin’s lymphoma the malignant or lymphoma lymphocytes. These cells can divide slowly or rapidly. Either way they cause lymph nodes or other organs to enlarge, depending on their position.

The lymph glands or any other organ, even if we talk about the stomach or intestines, are surely going to be affected by a large group of malignant lymphocytes, making unpleasant consequences unavoidable.

Mantle Cell Lymphoma

2008-03-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

Examined under the microscope, the Mantle cell lymphoma appears as an expansion of the mantle zone area of the lymph nodes.It is represented by a homogenous population of malignant small lymphoid cells, which are cancerous cells that travel from the bone marrow to the lymph nodes and spleen. They are different from the normal lymphocytes, they are not mature properly. Mantle cell lymphoma is a rare type of Non- hodgkin's lymphoma.

The lymphocytes are white blood cells produced by the immune system of the human body. Regarding their origin, there are two types of immune cells, the B cells which are made in the bone marrow and the T cells which are made in the thymus. After they are made they are eliminated in the lymph which is a clear liquid that bathes tissues and circulates in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system in the place where occur the cancers known as lymphomas. If the B cells are affected there can be a Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which include follicular lymphomas, small non-cleaved cell lymphomas (Burkitt's lymphomas), marginal zone lymphomas (MALT lymphomas), small lymphocyte lymphomas, large cell lymphomas. In this category of diseases is included the mantle cell lymphomas too.

At the beginning, the MCL cells develops in limited areas. Regarding this aspect there are three subsets of MCL cells: the mantle zone type, the nodular type and the blastic or immature type. In the most cases these various types develop together and the diagnoses are of mixed mantle and nodular type. During the development of the MCL the non-cancerous mantle centers also become invaded by cancerous cells. In about 20% of these cases, the cells become larger and they are imature ones.

As it is initially slow-growing, this type of cancer it was first believed to be a low-grade cancer, but the average survival rate it was substantially shortened. Because of the mixed nature of MCL cells, specialists tend to give this disease a new classification. The presence of the blastic type of cells is considered as a high-grade cancer because it spreads at about the rate of other lymphomas belonging to that category. It is very important to describe the precise nature of these cells, because this may help specialists involved in the study of MCL to get to an agreement.

Mantle cell lymphoma affects persons with ages between 50 - 70 years and it is diagnosed more frequently in women. This type of cancer has the shortest average survival of all lymphomas.

Nowadays the cause of MCL is unknown. It has many symptoms that appears in other lymphomas too. Patients generally complain of fatigue, low grade fevers, night sweats, weight loss, anemia, rashes, digestive disturbances, chronic sinus irritation, recurrent infections, sore throat, shortness of breath, muscle and bone aches and edema. A more specific symptom is the spleen enlargement. This clinical aspect is present especially in the nodular type of MCL. An early stage is the swollen lymph nodes. At the beginning this has no explanation because the general health of the patient is good. Anemia is another syptom that characterizes MCL, but it is a mild type of anemia. Some patients can also report lower back pain and burning pain in the legs and testicles. In an advanced stage of the MCL the lymph nodes increase in volume, the general health is compromised and the symptoms become more pronounced. In the end stage the MCL spreads to the central nervous system and appear the neurological symptoms.

As MCL is very similar to several other lymphoma types, imunologic tests are recommended for a correct diagnosis. One of this kind of tests is Immunophenotyping which determine what kind of surface molecules are present on cells, and which is the exact type of lymphoma, from a tissue sample.

When the diagnosis is sure it must be known that mantle cell lymphoma has already spread into many other tissues such as the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow or to the ring of adenoid, palatine and lingual tonsils at the back of the mouth or even to the gastrointestinal tract. If the MCL spread to the colon it is diagnosed as multiple lymphomatous polyposis.

The treatment for MCL is established depending on the type of MCL and it stage.

There is no standard treatment for MCL patients. The patients diagnosed with MCL have been treated with surgery, radiation, single drug or combination chemotherapy and stem cell transplants. The most common chemotherapy regimens for treating MCL includes the drugs: Cyclophosphamide (cytoxan, neosar), adriamycin (doxorubicin or Hydroxydoxorubicin), vincristine (Oncovin), and Prednisone and it is called CHOP.

Treatment Options for Mantle Cell Lymphoma

2008-03-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

A rare form of the Non-Hodgkin disease is the Mantle cell lymphoma. This disease is quite dangerous because its tumor grows very fast and ends up affecting most of the organs. Generally, people are diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma only when the disease has affected more organs and so, treating them is a little bit difficult because several areas of the body must be treated in the same time. The most indicated treatment in this case is chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy tries to stop cancerous cells from growing or dividing. There can be used oral drugs or drugs injected into the vein or muscle that will reach the cancer cells by entering the bloodstream, and is called systemic chemotherapy. In mantle cell lymphoma doctors use a combination of four drugs administered in a single day and then repeated every 3 weeks for 6 times.

In most of the cases, mantle cell lymphoma therapy is not useful and even if the response to the treatment seemed to be good, the disease comes back very often. In preventing this, doctors have used different drug combinations and the most successful was one treatment used in leukemia too. This treatment is unbearable for many of the patients due to its side effects, and doctors will not recommend this drug combination if they feel that the patient will not tolerate the treatment.

In most cases, after chemotherapy is done, stem cells previously taken from the patient’s blood or bone marrow or from a donor will be thawed and replaced through an infusion, in order to restore the body’s blood cells destroyed by the chemotherapy.

Biological therapy has proved to be useful in treating many forms of lymphoma, and it uses monoclonal antibodies. These antibodies are made from an immune system cell and are designed to seek and destroy all the substances that can help cancer cells to grow and develop. One of the monoclonal antibodies used in treating Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is Rituximab. This antibody could be used in treating mantle cell lymphoma too.

There have been developed some new drugs but they are still under tests in clinical trials. Bortezomib is one of them and using it seems to lead to the death of cancer cells.

Using radiation therapy proved to be inefficient because it did not lead to a remarkably extinction of the cancer cells and it only weakened the human organism.

Until now there is no cure for this disease and no certain effective treatment. In order to discover a useful therapy, doctors will encourage you to join a clinical trial and help them improve the medical treatment of this terrible disease.

Gleevec Therapy Method For Leukemia

2008-03-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

The therapy of chronic myeloid leukemia with Gleevec (Imatinib mesylate) began to be used in patients in 2001 and seemed to be real success. Since that time, a clinical study revealed the efficiency of Gleevec in other cancer types as well such as in hypereosinophilic syndrome, another blood cancer.

Gleevec is a targeted drug on abnormal cells of the body and doesn’t attack healthy cells like other chemotherapeutics. Gleevec is efficient against a protein called BCR-ABL from the class of enzymes known as thyrosine kinases which is responsible for the excessive multiplication of mature and immature white blood cells in the chronic myeloid Leukemia.

Most cancer forms are caused by genetic mistakes leading to the production of malfunctioning proteins that send a wrong message to the cells. When the abnormal enzymes are inhibited by chemotherapy, the cancer progression is also stopped. Scientists work to find other similar drugs like Gleevec that have the capacity to inhibit dysfunctional enzymes such as tyrosine kinases.

In normal conditions, tyrosine kinases send different signals to the cells stimulating them to perform different actions. Abnormal enzymes send modified messages to the cells allowing them to multiply particular cells in an abnormal rate and cancer appears. 4500 new cases of CML are discovered every year and Gleevec was firstly used on this type of cancer. Chronic myeloid leukemia is caused by a translocated, genetically modified chromosome called Philadelphia causing the occurrence of abnormal tyrosine kinases. This is the primer cause of leukemic cells occurrence in the bone marrow and blood.

Many of the chemotherapeutics used to treat leukemia have negative effects on other healthy tissues as well like skin, bone marrow, and gastrointestinal track or hair follicles, and causes injuries to organs like heart, kidneys or lungs. Gleevec is targeted on mutant protein and enzyme cells and only destructs this type of genetically modified tissues. Gleevec also has its side-effects such as nausea, vomiting, skin rashes or fluid retention due to its toxicity but they are far less dangerous for the human body than other drugs.

The drug therapy using Gleevec proved far more efficient than earlier methods and showed real more improvements for the CML patients. It impressively reduces the number of white blood cells and the number of leukemic cells inside the bone marrow. Gleevec can also be used on persons not responding to the Interferon therapy or the ones that proved intolerant to it.

The administration of Gleevec is easier as well as it is available as a pill not as injections like most of the other drugs. This aspect makes the self-administration possible and spares patients from staying in the hospital for long periods of time.

Lymphoma-A Consequence Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

2008-03-13T23:42:00.000-07:00

RA, rheumatoid arthritis, is a disease that affects the cells around the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis involves a lot of pain but in the advanced stages can also mean immobility because in time, the tissues around the joints are deteriorating.

Not affecting the tissues around the joints, but the lymphatic tissues, lymphoma is a type of cancer that leads to weak immunity for the human body and affects the lymph nodes. The white cells, especially the plasma ones can’t end their mission of locating and destroying antigens or foreign materials because of the malignant or lymphoma lymphocytes that divide and enlarge the lymph nodes or other organs like stomach or intestines.

Is being well known that lymphoma makes more victims around men who past the age of 60, while rheumatoid arthritis chooses women. Trying to determine a connection between these two diseases we can easily figure out that the risks for a person to have both these diseases are low.

After further research scientists obtained a conclusion quite different from what we had imagined earlier. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have chances to develop lymphoma. Their chances grow with their stage of disease. For a low degree rheumatoid arthritis patients the risk of developing lymphoma is not so high, but for those with a moderate or high level of rheumatoid arthritis the chances to develop this type of cancer are real high.

Archive notes tell us that in the last 30 years a insignificant percentage of rheumatoid arthritis patients suffered from lymphoma, being counted a number of less than 400 patients.

Patients with a very severe form of rheumatoid arthritis risk to develop lymphoma more than the other cases.

Most of all, the later studies show us that the treatment for rheumatoid arthritis has no connection with the development of lymphoma. The study was made over a rheumatoid arthritis specific treatment including methotrexate, oral steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin.

Despite this study we can still hear opinions about the connections between rheumatoid arthritis treatment and the development of lymphoma, as a consequence.

Perhaps we have to take these opinions seriously, even though the two diseases rheumatoid arthritis and lymphoma refer to different types of patients, because both of them affect tissues and stop the white cells to take care of the immune system. That’s why patients with moderate or severe rheumatoid arthritis should talk to a specialist that could help them reduce the risks of lymphoma.

Mantle Cell Lymphoma-An Indolent Or An Aggressive Disease?

2008-03-13T23:41:00.000-07:00

Mantle cell lymphoma is a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma type of cancer and it represents affection of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system, as part of the immune system, helps fighting against infections or foreign particles. The lymph drains through lymph vessels, a network of tubular channels, into the bloodstream and accumulates in lymphocytes. The lymphocytes or the white blood cells are divided in two groups: the B cells or the B lymphocytes and the T cells or lymphocytes, and can be located not only in the lymph nodes, but in the lymphoid tissue too.

B lymphocytes search the organism for infections or foreign bodies. When something wrong is found B cells transform into plasma cells and secrete antibodies to neutralize the infection. This is the moment when T cells get to do their job. Once neutralized by the B cells the infection or foreign body is destroyed by the T lymphocytes.

While moving through the lymphatic system, the lymph is filtered by the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are located in various regions in our body such as neck, armpit, chest and groin and even abdomen, and have the mission to destroy antigens.

From the two categories of lymphoma that we know, mantle cell lymphoma is a non-Hodgkin’s disease, being a result of weakness from the immunity system. By dividing, slowly or rapidly, the malignant cells form a numerous population that enlarges the lymph nodes. Mantle cell lymphomas symptoms are different from a case to another, and are strictly related to the stage of disease, sex and age of the patient.

MCL is a B cell lymphoma that develops in the zone of the lymph nodes and it is a form of non-Hodgkin’s disease caused by the malignant B lymphocytes.

Mantle cell lymphoma is considered as being a two stage disease. In cases when lymphomas divide slowly the diagnosis is low grade disease, but in cases when the malignant cells divide rapidly the diagnosis is set as high grade lymphoma, in urgent need of proper treatment. Because of this classification of the mantle cell lymphoma, specialists have doubts about where to situate this lymphoma, along with indolent or aggressive diseases.

Mantle cell lymphoma affects especially men that are over 50. Fewer than 33% of the patients are women.

MCL symptoms are pretty much alike to the other lymphomas symptoms. The immune system is getting weaker and from this time towards, problems occur. In early stage the enlargement of lymph nodes is one of the most common symptoms just like anemia and in final stages neurological problems appear.

Signs-Symptoms And Life-Expectation In Acute Leukemia

2008-03-13T23:40:00.003-07:00

First occurring signs in the development of acute forms of leukemia are bruising and bleedings caused by the decreased number of platelets, fatigue and pales due to the anemia caused by insufficient red blood cells, reoccurring infections and late healing due to abnormal number and function of white blood cells. These symptoms are however not specific for the Leukemia condition and for a precise diagnose further testing is required such as analysis of blood and bone marrow.

A certain cause of Leukemia is not yet known as it can affect persons of all ages and both sexes. A link however between leukemia and benzene prolonged exposure or high doses of radiations could be established. But most cases cannot be rationally explained.

The main target of the Leukemia treatment is to annihilate all existing abnormal cells in blood and bone marrow. A complete remission means no left trace of cancerous modifications. Some of the treated cases show a reoccurrence of the disease with other signs and symptoms. In acute leukemia forms, after five years of remission after treatment the patient can be qualified as cured and the condition rarely reoccurs.

In the last 25 years the percent of surviving subjects has increased due to new therapy ways. The overall five-year survival rate is 44% today, with significant progresses compared to the 1960’s rate of only 14%. The rate of survival differs by age, type of leukemia and previous health status. In the case of acute lymphocytic Leukemia the rate is 58%, in the chronic form it reaches 71%, in acute myelogenous Leukemia the rate is 14% and the chronic form reaches 32% five-year survival.

In present there are about 144000 patients suffering from Leukemia in the USA. The rate of survival in children suffering from acute lymphocytic leukemia is 81% if detected in early stage. For children diagnosed with acute myelogenic Leukemia the rate is 43%.

In 2001 about 12500 male subjects are known to have died from Leukemia and a lower number of 9500 women, in the United States. The estimated number of chronic lymphocytic deaths yet to occur is 4600 and 1400 from acute lymphocytic forms. Acute myelogenous Leukemia is expected to produce 7200 deaths and chronic myelogenous Leukemia about 2300 deaths. Other forms of leukemia will be responsible for approximately 600 death cases.

For males under 40 and for women less than 20 leukemia represents the main cause of death. The estimated rate of deaths in males of Leukemia is 25% higher than in females. The percent of death cases in children has decreased in the last 30 years but the rate still remains high.

The Target Of The Treatment In Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

2008-03-13T23:40:00.001-07:00

Nowadays, cancer is one of the most serious problems in medicine.Specialists try to discover new treatments. In clinics, the patients with cancer that start a new treatment are closely followed. Physicians determine the optimal dose which have the minimal side effects and offers the most numerous chances of survival. Because doctors make often adjustments, the treatment given to the patients does not always match with the treatment that studies found it to be the most effective. That's why sometimes people receiving the treatment doesn't feel very well, even if that treatment is supposed to save their life. If the patients have to get chemotherapy it is very important to respect the recommended doses and schedule, and it is also important to know the reasons why this rules are not respected.

There are a lot of cases when different types of cancer, like breast cancer or even the Non- Hodgkin's lymphoma, are not correctly treated and it is not given the appropriate supportive therapy. It was proved that if those patients were treated appropriately and the treatment guidelines were followed, they would have a good chance of survival and possible cure.

The Non- Hodgkin's lymphoma is a very aggressive type of cancer or the most common type of lymphoma. In lymphomas are affected the lymph glands and nodes that are anywhere in the body. So this kind of cancer can occur everywhere in the body. There is also a Hodgkin's disease that can often occur in younger patients. The incidence of the Non- Hodgkin's lymphoma is bigger in older patients, most frequently around age 60, but latest it can occur in younger people too. There is no explanation why this is one of the cancers that affects more and more individuals over the last 20 years.

Even if it is a very aggressive form of cancer it is very responsive in treatment and potentially curable cancer, which is a resemblance with the Hodgkin's disease. An appropriate treatment can give the patients the chance to be cured and to live a normal life. This is justified for more than half of the patients.

So it was proved that the aggressive disease is more responsive to treatment which is a kind of a paradox which can be seen in many forms of rapidly growing cancers. The cells in this cancers are rapidly dividing, but they tend to be more responsive to treatment. The scientific explanation for this phenomenon is that the chemotherapy drugs are most active against rapidly growing cells.

The whole treatment in Non- Hodgkin's lymphoma can last for about four to five months. If there is an early stage disease, the patient may get a shorter course of chemotherapy. This method must be combined with radiation therapy to the affected area. Because the cancerous cells may be anywhere in the body the biggest part of the patients with cancer needs to be treated systemically with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a combination of four or five drugs. The whole treatment program can run over a period of about four to five months.

Even if this form of cancer is a curable one, there are people with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who being under-treated. This under- treatment means a substantial dose reductions or treatment delays during their chemotherapy. This is one of the reasons why some of this patients presents side effects and they don't get cured. It was proved in clinical trials that patients who receive the appropriate treatment do better than patients whose treatment is compromised by reducing the doses or not respecting the schedule. So the chances of long-term survival and cure are influenced by the way the treatments are being given.

There are some situations when reductions in doses of the treatment are unavoidable. This happens when there are older patients, or patients with a higher stage of disease, patients who aren't able to care for themselves. in this circumstances the treatment have to be delayed too.

The best moment to give the appropriate treatment are the early stages of the disease. Preventative care is very important. Specifically treatment to boost low white blood cell counts caused by chemotherapy, are more likely to receive the dose on time and to receive fuller dose intensity than those patients who didn't receive these agents. There many reasons,not only cancer, for which patients received these medications from the beginning.

Another cause of under- treatment is the situations when the patient doesn't tolerate the chemotherapy the way it was expected to be. So it increases the concern about side effects. There are situations when the reduction in dose of the treatment is established from the very beginning, before the patient had received any kind of treatment. This is a conscious decision of the doctor who consult the patient and gets to the conclusion that he won't tolerate the chemotherapy well. Other reductions in doses of the treatment occurs after starting therapy, because of the side effects. In this case reducing the dose is a strategy to reduce the side effects of treatment. This has negative results because it is very sure that to this patients the disease will come back months or years later.

Supportive care is very important. Older patients, patients who have more intensive symptoms from their disease or a higher stage of disease, need a type of a more aggressive supportive care. If they are supported in a right way it is also recommended to be treated the same as younger patients are. This increases their chances to be cured.When giving the supportive care it is important to analyze the risk factors. This are the patient's age that can easily lead to more side effects or in the most cases determine the physician to reduce the doses or schedule of the treatment, even before starting it. Giving the right supportive care enables the patients at a higher risk to receive the full treatment.

Supportive care helps physicians and patients with cancer to control nausea, vomiting and infections that can result because of the low white blood cell count. These are one of the most common side effects of the toxicity of the chemotherapy. Supportive care includes treatments that can improve the blood counts and also reduce the risk of infection. So if the patients seem not to tolerate the chemotherapy well, it is recommended to use the supportive care and not to modify the doses and schedule in treatment. This way the patient will be allowed to go through the full program.

There are different kinds of treatments available and it is very important for the patients recently diagnosed Non- Hodgkin's lymphoma to ask an oncologist about the side effects of those treatments and what can be done to diminish and to prevent them. It is very important for this patients to get the full treatment and to know that the target is to minimize side effects and to increase the effects of the appropriate treatment.

Keeping the Faith: Turning to Religion When Diagnosed with Lymphoma

2008-03-13T23:38:00.001-07:00

Being diagnosed with a potentially life threatening medical condition, such as lymphoma, can often cause a person to revaluate their life and many find religion in the process. While some return to a lapsed religion, others find faith for the first time and, more often than not, just believing that there is something or someone in charge of their destiny can help them to come to terms with their predicament.

The very act of going to a place of worship, be it a church, synagogue, mosque etc. and interacting with others who have faith can give a lymphoma sufferer the positivism and strength to fight their condition. This is especially true when the sufferer lives alone or has no close family because the congregation pulls together and acts as a ‘super-family’ in times of need. They often make meals, help with the grocery shopping or just sit and listen so that the patient never feels alone and this solidarity can severely help during rigorous treatment regimes and during recovery.

Finding faith can also help a lymphoma patient to make amends with their God should the worst happen. It may be that they followed a religion in their younger years however because of other commitments they let their faith lapse. Finding themselves in a life or death situation may make them think about what they gave up and bring them back to the fold and under the protection of their God once more.

Even when a person has never shown any interest in religion before their diagnosis, they often find themselves suddenly believing in an all powerful, all forgiving entity simply because they don’t know what else to do. Many people who are faced with an uncertain future find that they need something solid to cling on to that will remain in their life for as long as they need it and religion fills this requirement. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like or even what you have done in your past, most religions are all encompassing and nobody is ever turned away. You don’t have to smile everyday and make jokes with other people; religion will be there on the good days and the bad days when you can’t find a civil word, unlike humans who tend to get upset when a cancer sufferer goes through a bad or depressing patch.

In addition to religion, other lymphoma sufferers may find faith in other places. Many find faith in their families and vow to live for them alone whereas others may believe in Mother Nature and so pray to her for a long and fruitful life. Faith can be found pretty much anywhere you look for it and different people find it in very different places. Lymphoma patients should believe in whatever they want to believe in to get them through their tough times, whether it is conventional or not. Who is to say that praying to the cancer fairies is any less useful than praying to a religious icon – whatever gives a person faith also gives them hope.

What Is Acute Myelogenous Leukemia?

2008-03-13T08:23:00.002-07:00

AML, (acute myelogenous leukemia), is an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow and blood. It is the most common type of leukemia. AML is also known by the following names-acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia or acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. Blood cells are malformed and useless. The cells can accumulate in parts of the body.

Acute myelogenous leukemia statistics
• Rare in people under 40 years old
• More common in men than in women
• Average age is 65 years old
• 5-year survival rate
o under 65 years old-33%
o over 65 years old-4%
• 2007 it is predicted there will be 13,000 cases (majority will be adults)

The symptoms of acute myelogenous leukemia include abnormal blood counts, a general run-down, unwell feeling that never gets better, reoccurring infections, swollen lymph nodes, and bone/ joint pain. Symptoms are acute (comes on suddenly, and accelerates quickly) instead of chronic (mild symptoms that gradually worsen over years).

When the malformed cells collect around parts of the body, it can cause skin, lung, central nervous system, kidney, and even testicle problems. Initially, acute myelogenous leukemia may mimic other conditions. Blood tests identify the possibility of AML. The final diagnosis is usually made after a bone marrow test and sometimes by a spinal tap, also known as a lumbar (lower spine) puncture (LP).

There are several types treatments available, one or more will be used to treat a dignosis of AML.

Chemotherapy-strong drugs taken orally or intravenously that kills the cancer cells. Occasionally it’s injected directly into the spine. It is a systemic treatment because it travels throughout the whole body.

Radiation-high energy rays like X-rays kill the cancer cells

Bone marrow transplants-unhealthy cancer producing bone marrow is destroyed and replaced with matching bone marrow.

Immunotherapy-stimulates the immune system to destroy cancer cells or boosts natural defenses. It can be a made naturally or artificially.

Risk factors for AML
• Previous chemotherapy or radiation treatments
• Exposure to radiation and chemicals like benzene
• Genetic disorders like Downs Syndrome
• Smoking
• Blood disorders like myelodysplasia

People with risk factors should watch more closely for symptoms of AML because early treatment increases survival rate.

Statistic Data on Leukemia

2008-03-13T08:23:00.001-07:00

Leukemia is the blood cancer form and originates in a malfunctioning bone marrow that tends to produce abnormal red and white cells in an increased rate. The most important four types of Leukemia are the acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia and the acute and chronic lymphocytic Leukemia. The name of the condition stands for the cell type involved.

The acute type of leukemia develops with an increased production of abnormal white cells making the body unable to fight infections; red blood cells and platelets are insufficient and the organism suffers from bruising, bleedings and anemia. Chronic forms of Leukemia are not as aggressive as they give the normal cells time to regenerate.

About 25000 new equal cases of acute and chronic Leukemia appear every ear. Most cases appear in adults and persons over 60 years but the acute lymphocytic Leukemia has an increased rate in children. Annually, about 10000 cases in adults are diagnosed as acute myelogenic Leukemia, 8000 are chronic lymphocytic Leukemia, 500 are chronic myelogenous forms and about 3500 are acute forms of lymphocytic Leukemia. The rest of the cases are unclassified blood cancer types.

All types of Leukemia are most commonly encountered in men than in women. Men subjects cover about 56% of all Leukemia new cases in a year. Americans with European descent seem to be more affected by cancer than those with African origins; about 131000 new cases of cancer are detected in African Americans every year but most of them are not related to blood cancers.

Americans with Indian or Hispanic origins are far more affected by Leukemia than African Americans and about 50% of the cases are encountered in male subjects. Elderly persons are most highly affected inside all populations. Minority groups like Caucasians are more affected by Leukemia forms than other ethnic groups like Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. European descent children show increased rate of susceptibility compared to African American children.

Most of the new occurred cases of cancer in children below 15 are of Leukemia. About 2500 new cases of acute forms of lymphocytic leukemia are identified in the USA annually and it tends to be the most encountered form of cancer in children. High percents of the cases occur in children aged 3-4 and less in infants or 19 years old patients. In the last 25 years the chance of cure in specialized centers has increased due to new therapy methods.

People over 40 and older persons are more touched by acute myelogenous Leukemia and the secondary Leukemia type found in adults is chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

What is Leukemia?

2008-03-13T08:22:00.002-07:00

Today, one of the most dangerous and incurable condition seems to be cancer. It has no actual cure for mostly of the tissues it affects, especially when it reaches vital organs such as heart, lungs or blood. The blood tissue form of cancer is known as Leukemia and it represents a real life threat as it affects the blood circulation meant to supply the whole body with vital nutriments.

Blood is the connection tissue for all of the body’s organs and tissue as it carries oxygen and other important elements for the cell life. This is the reason why leukemia is such dangerous and frightening disease. Blood has access to all vital organs like heart, lungs and brain and when Leukemia occurs, it will rapidly create a dysfunction of all the other organs by supplying them with unhealthy particles. Cancerous cells are quickly carried to all parts of the organism and the dissemination occurs in a very short period of time.

Leukemia is in fact the consequence of an abnormality occurred in the form and number of leukocytes, the blood white cells. Leucocytes are vital for the good functioning of the body as they have the role to fight against all potential aggressions from the outside. They are the key to a good protection against infections and when leukemia appears the cellular immunity decreases drastically leaving the body unable to protect against damaging factors of any nature.

The main pathological way of the disease is an increased production by the marrow of infected and abnormal white blood cells. The new leucocytes anatomically and functionally modified and interfere with all functions of the blood even hindering the normal oxygen transport. Modified white blood cells also damage the normal functioning of the red blood cells and lead to the occurrence of anemia. Cancerous cells impede the tissue supply with hemoglobin and the body cells suffer from the lack of iron.

When the cancerous cells reach the brain, other dangerous modifications appear such as headaches, night sweats and neuropsychical problems. Cancerous Leukemia cells can be easily detected under the microscope and the suspects of the disease are advised to undergo a bone marrow examination. The onset of Leukemia is pointed out by swollen lymph nodes through the whole body, especially around the neck and thigh.

Risk factors for Leukemia are especially radioactive radiations that produce cell mutations and damages to their activity. An overexposure to benzene, an industrial hydrocarbure, also increases the risk of developing Leukemia, as well as the Down syndrome.

The most effective but also painful treatment is chemotherapy when the patients need to swallow many drugs at once. Another possibility of treatment is radiotherapy and patients suffer from losing hair and skin texture.

Leukemia is curable if detected in time and treated right. A bone marrow transplant may be helpful to regain healthy white blood cells. For a good outcome, the patients especially need the support of the family.

What Exactly is Lymphoma?

2008-03-13T08:22:00.001-07:00

Lymphoma is not a single disease, it is in fact a group of diseases in which the cells of the immune system become cancerous and begin to divide and multiply in an uncontrolled manner in a lymph node. Initially a single lymph node may be affected however the cancer may quickly spread around the body through the lymphatic system so that other nodes and also other tissues, such as the bone marrow, become affected.

A number of the immune system cell types can become cancerous including the T cells and the B cells which are the body’s two main defense mechanisms against illness and infection. The immune system cells are carried in the blood stream and through the lymphatic system and so the lymphoma cancers can be very mobile and affect areas of the body far from the original cancerous site.

The fact that you have swollen lymph glands does not automatically mean you have a lymphoma cancer because there are a number of other diseases which cause the lymph nodes to swell; in fact any disease which requires the assistance of the immune system will cause mild swelling in many of the lymph glands. If however you have swelling in a single gland that is painless and symptom free then you should make an appointment with your doctor just to check it out.

There are various types of lymphoma cancer however the two main types are Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Hodgkin’s disease is characterized by painless enlargement of one or more lymph nodes, most commonly in the chest, neck and armpits. If the caner has spread from these initial sites then fevers, night sweats, weight loss and bone pain can also occur. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is the more common disease of the two, may start in exactly the same way however the patient may also develop an enlarged spleen, anemia and general malaise.

Because the lymphoma cancers are so mobile a sufferer can often experience symptoms in other areas of the body that they would not necessarily associate with cancer which means that unless you know what to look for i.e. swollen lymph glands, you may well dismiss the problem as being due to a simple illness, such as the flu, as this also causes many of the symptoms displayed by lymphoma patients. Also, because the cells of the immune system are primarily affected a person with a lymphoma cancer will quickly become more susceptible than usual to even the weakest pathogens i.e. their immune system becomes weaker and fails to protect the body from disease.

The good news is that as with other forms of cancer, lymphomas are treatable and so anyone diagnosed shouldn’t give up hope of leading a long and healthy life. You need to find out as much information as you can about the illness and find coping strategies that work for you and your family. You will need to undergo either chemotherapy, radiation therapy or possibly a bone marrow transplant however lymphoma patients today have a high survival rate and many people are cured of the disease totally.

Who Does Lymphoma Affect?

2008-03-13T08:21:00.002-07:00

Lymphoma is a form of cancer that affects a specific type of cell called the lymphocytes. These tiny but incredibly important cells are classed as cells of the immune system and so when they begin to mutate and become cancerous the immune response to infections, for example bacteria and viruses, is severely affected. As with all other forms of cancer, lymphoma can strike anyone at any time and because it doesn’t exhibit any obvious outward symptoms, many sufferers don’t realise they have developed the disease until it has already reached the later stages.

In terms of age there are two major age groups that are especially prone to lymphoma. These are 25-35 years of age and the over 60s. It is possible that the over 60s have naturally weaker immune systems because their body cells have had to defend from infection for so long. This means that when mutated cells do occur, and they do often occur within the body, the immune system is no longer able to eradicate them and they are able to multiply and develop into cancer. This is especially worrying when the cells that are mutated are in fact cells of the immune system i.e. the lymphocytes. Surprisingly, research into confirmed cases of lymphoma has shown that 25-35 year olds are also at higher risk of developing the disease. Nobody is sure why this is so at the current time and further research into the mechanisms of lymphoma development is needed to make the link.

In terms of gender, research has shown that men are around three times more likely than women to be diagnosed with lymphoma. Again why this should be so is still not known with any certainty however there are a number of thoughts which could explain the bias. For example, some scientists think that the female hormones may provide protection from the disease because as women age and the level of hormones within the body decreases, the probability of them developing lymphoma starts to equal that of their male counterparts. Alternatively it could be that male hormones somehow make men more susceptible and as men age and their hormone levels decrease they become less prone to the disease. Either way, more research is needed into the risk factors of lymphoma before a definite link can be made.

Lastly, in terms of geographical location it would seem that the Western world i.e. the UK, America, Australia, Germany etc, have much higher incidences of lymphoma than places such as Africa and Asia. This may be related to lifestyle in that a rich lifestyle with fatty food, alcohol, and other luxurious items in addition to the higher concentrations of pollution and other carcinogenic substances may predispose Westerners to lymphoma.

Why some people are affected by lymphoma while others aren’t still remains a mystery however there are many research institutes around the world that are working hard to find the answers. If you fall into either of the age ranges mentioned above and especially if you are male then you should stay vigilant and check you lymph gland regularly for any signs of swelling.

Lymph Nodes Cancer

2008-03-13T08:21:00.001-07:00

Lymph node cancer or lymphoma is a cancer that accounts for approximately five percent of all cancers. It predominantly effects males but is not exclusive to men. Those most at risk are between the ages of fifteen and thirty four and those over the age of fifty-four. This does not mean that anyone outside of this age range is not at risk but statistically it does seem to fall inside those age groups at a greater rate. Like all other cancers, early detection and treatment is the key to a greater chance of recovery.

Hodgkins Disease is a form of lymph node cancer but is rare in its occurrence. It also statistically effects mostly men between the ages of fifteen and thirty-four and men over the age of fifty-four but is not exclusive to men only. Some of the most common symptoms of Hodgkins Disease are night sweats, unexplained wight loss, constant fatigue and unexplained fever. If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms it is wise to have yourself examined by a doctor as these also could be the symptoms of another disorder.

All other remaining types of lymph node cancer are known as non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The majority of lymph node cancers treated are of the non-Hodgkins type. The symptoms of non-Hodgkins lymphoma are the same as Hodgkins Disease. Night sweats, unexplained fever, chronic fatigue and unexplained weight loss.Lymph node cancer is also known as lymphatic cancer. Those with a family history of lymph node cancer statistically fall within a higher risk group of contracting the disease. This is true for both men and women.

Lymph node cancer is a type of cancer that involves the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is an integral part of the bodies immune system. Statistically, the occurrence of lymph node cancer has increased approximately seventy-five percent since nineteen-seventy-three in the United States. Research has revealed that approximately one in fifty-two men and one in sixty-one women in the United States will contract non Hodgkin lymphoma within their lifetime. Studies have indicated that a greater exposure to herbicides and pesticides is greatly responsible for this increase.

Lymph node cancer is curable and if detected early and with effective treatment a person with lymph node cancer has a greater chance than ever before of being cured of this disease and if cured can expect to live a long and normal life. Many new and innovative treatments for lymph node cancer have been developed and are now available. The medical community has a greater understanding of lymph node cancer than in years past. Treatments that were once experimental and have been found to be effective are now being used to treat and cure lymph node cancer.

As a person ages it is to be expected that he or she will encounter medical challenges, it is part of the aging process. Lymph node cancer might be one of those challenges you encounter in your life's journey. How soundly these challenges are defeated depends greatly on how you approach them. A fighting spirit has been proven time and again to be a powerful weapon to have in your arsenal when battling cancers of all types. Accepting defeat in any challenge almost guarantees defeat. The will to fight and live on has carried so many cancer survivors to victory over the disease.

Diagnosing Lymphoma

2008-03-13T08:20:00.001-07:00

To diagnose a lymphoma case if very difficult because many of the lymphoma symptoms are similar to those of other medical conditions. However, based on the symptoms, you might suspect a lymphoma case and go see a doctor, where you will have a physical examination. Only through this thorough examination, and sometimes x- rays, your doctor can diagnose you with lymphoma.

When you go see your physician for an examination because you suspect a lymphoma case, here is what to expect: he/ she will start to palpate all your lymph nodes. They are situated in your neck, right under your chin, around your tonsils, your elbows, shoulders, in your groin area and under your arms. Besides this examination of these areas of your body in order to proper diagnose lymphoma, your doctor will also feel your abdomen and chest to see if there is any swelling there as well. Your liver and spleen will also be examined by palpation. If your doctor, after this examination, believes that there is a presence of lymphoma, further test will be made. The physical examination is just the beginning of the lymphoma diagnoses process. The test that are made after the examination serve to better determine if you indeed are suffering from lymphoma or not. A biopsy, x- rays, blood tests and scans are the next tests that you will have to take in order to be diagnosed with lymphoma. If the results in those lymphoma tests are inconclusive, then you will probably also have to take a bone marrow test.

Lymphoma symptoms are not enough to diagnose this disease, because they can also be associated with other diseases as well. However, they serve to give you an idea that something is wrong. Here are some of the most common symptoms of lymphoma:
- swollen nodes, which are painless is the primary lymphoma sign;
- anemia, loose of weight and fatigue also tell you that you might be suffering from lymphoma;
- fever and sweating, mostly at night, for no apparent reason are also signs that indicate a lymphoma case;
- shortness of breath and an annoying, persistent cough are also lymphoma symptoms;
- itching, sometimes all over your body is one of the lymphoma signs as well;

There are also some other symptoms which can indicate a lymphoma case, but they are less common. Back pain or swollen tissues are some of the rare lymphoma symptoms. They appear because your lymph nodes can actually compress some of your nerves.

A Short Classification Of Leukemia Cells

2008-03-13T08:19:00.003-07:00

In the bone marrow are produced the leukemia cells which are abnormal and immature.These cells are classified in two types:lymphoid leukemia cells and myeloid leukemia cells.The abnormal, immature cells called leukemia cells are produced by blood-forming tissue and these are named after the lymphoid or myeloid cells.

It is better to know about the normal blood cells and about the form of these.So,in the bone marrow,which is the soft material in the center of most bones, are formed the blood cells.The immature blood cells called stem cells and blasts are produced by the marrow.

These blood cells become mature,they can be formed into one of three types of mature blood cells like:red blood that carry oxygen and other materials to all tissues of the body,white blood cells that fight infection and disease,platelets that help prevent bleeding by causing blood clots to form.

One of two types of stem cells are created by mature blood cells like lymphoid stem cells or myeloid stem cells.As they grow they become lymphoid blasts, they transform in lymphocytes and then passes into white blood cells.In the same way myeloid cells grow,passes into myeloid blasts, then myelocytes and finally they become either white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets.

Abnormal cells are produced in the bone marrow and they can be either abnormal lymphoid cells or myeloid cells;appears only at people with leukemia.Lymphocytic leukemia is formed by the abnormal lymphoid cells and the myeloid leukemia is created by the abnormal myeloid cells.The types of leukemia based on the leukemia cells are four and they are the following:chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL),chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML),acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Too many stem cells develops into either abnormal lymphoblasts or lynphocytes conduct to the appearance of lymphoid leukemia cells.Unfortunatelly lymphoblastic and lymphocytic are not abble to fight infection because of the number of lymphocytes arrises in the blood and bone marrow,there is less space for healty white blood cells,red blood cells and platelets, which can cause infection anemia and easy bleeding.

At people with leukemia there are three types of lymphocytes they became abnormal:B lymphocytes that make antibodies to help fight infection,T lymphocytes that help B lymphocytes make the antibodies that help fight infection and natural killer cells that attack cancer cells and viruses.It is important for as to know the classification of these cells and their role.

Why Early Detection of Slow Growing Lymphoma Is Difficult

2008-03-13T08:19:00.001-07:00

There are over 30 types of lymphoma that have so far been detected and they can be grouped according to a variety of criteria. One such criterion is how fast the cancer is growing and so lymphomas are generally classed as either slow growing or fast growing. Slow growing lymphomas can be very difficult to detect because they rarely exhibit symptoms while they are still in an early stage.

As their name suggests, slow growing lymphomas take a relatively long time to grow to a size that starts to affect the body. Initially slow growing lymphomas will confine themselves to one specific area of the body. This is normally a lymph gland or a site close to a lymph gland and because they stay confined they don’t affect any other organs or tissues. The only outward sign of early stage lymphoma is a painless swelling of the affected lymph glands however this swelling can easily be missed or ignored by the patient. Even if it is noticed it is often attributed to a simple infection and no more notice is taken of it until it starts to become uncomfortable.

It may be over a year before sections of the confined lymphoma start to break off and travel to secondary sites in the body. Lymphoma affects the lymphocyte cells of the immune system and as such it has the ability to travel through the lymphatic system and in the blood stream. When the lymphoma cells do start to migrate to other areas the immune system tries to eradicate them and it is at this stage that the first systemic symptoms are experienced by the patient. These symptoms might include fever, night sweats, abdominal distension, unexplained weight loss and occasionally anemia i.e. chronic fatigue, tiredness and pale skin, although the exact symptoms will depend on the area that the migrating cells invade.

Often it is at this stage that the patient first visits the doctor and a provisional diagnosis is made. A number of medical tests are required to confirm the diagnosis and these tests will not only provide information regarding the exact type of lymphoma that is present, they will also say whether the lymphoma is fast or slow growing and what stage it has reached.

Unfortunately, many cases of slow growing lymphoma have reached a late stage by the time they are detected and diagnosed. This means they have spread to numerous areas of the body and so are a lot more difficult to treat effectively. There will also be a lot more cancer cells then the body can easily cope with and they may have infiltrated areas that are incredibly hard to treat such as the liver and bone marrow. For this reason it is important to consult a doctor whenever swelling of the lymph glands is noticed or any of the other lymphoma symptoms mentioned above are experienced. It is highly likely that the swelling and symptoms are caused by a minor illness however it is well worth finding this out as early as possible

Cancer and Common Questions about Lymphoma

2008-03-13T08:18:00.001-07:00

If you or a family member has just been diagnosed with lymphoma, there probably are many questions you have. You will get all those answered eventually, however you first should know a little bit about cancer itself. Here we answer some of the questions to help you understand better what is going on inside your body.

What is a Cancer? Cancer is a condition in which certain of your body’s cells become abnormal and grow uncontrollably, beyond the ability of your body to destroy these rogue cells. Your natural body defenses become insufficient to fight off this rapid growth of cells. Typically these cells then group together in a mass form called a tumor.

Your body is comprised of millions of cells, all working together in balance within your body for it’s proper function. Blood cells, for example function in homeostasis; your body must have red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets for you to live and breathe. These cells each have a life span and age in your body. When they near the end of their life span they are destroyed, and new cells form to replace the lost ones. The process takes place continually, but for some this process doesn't work properly. Cells may be formed too soon and not reach maturity, or be destroyed prematurely. When this happens cancer can be the root cause of the process not functioning as it should.

What is Lymphoma? Lymphoma is cancer of the lymphatic system. What occurs is that lymphocytes are not maturing as they should, and are not becoming normal white blood cells. When such abnormal cells start taking over they will replicate faster than normal white blood cells and live longer than normal lymphocytes. They are able develop in many parts of your body, such as the spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and blood. There are two major types of cancer of the lymphatic system; Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, others exists as well but these are the main two.

What is a Lymphocyte? White blood cells which help the body fight off infections and other foreign entities in your body. Lymphocytes are manufactured in the bone marrow, spleen, and lymph nodes, and flow through your body in the lymph system. You have two main types of lymphocytes.

B-lymphocytes grow into plasma cells which make proteins known as antibodies. T-lymphocytes help destroy your body's own cells when they become infected. They assist in you fighting off viral infections that medications don't seem to take of. T cells help fight off cancer as well. Once these cells have done their jobs the survivors develop into memory cells stored in the lymph nodes. They remain, and if that particular antigen reappears they help fight if off again. This is how vaccines can work in our body.

How is Lymphoma treated? The various types of lymphoma are treated differently. Your physician will be better able to inform you which course of treatment is available for you. The majority of cancers are treated with immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiation. The objective is to get rid of the abnormal cells and to allow new healthy cells to develop in their place. A number of treatments are sometimes needed to reach this goal and help you recover.

Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lymphoma

2008-03-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Would you know if you had lymphoma? Do you even know what to look for? Below is a short description of lymphoma and information on the symptoms to look for, how the doctor will diagnose it and the possible treatments available today.

What is lymphoma?
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphocyte cells of the immune system. It generally originates in one or more of the lymph glands and causes them to swell to the point that they become uncomfortable although not painful. The common lymph glands that are first affected include those in the neck, in the armpit area and in the groin. Unfortunately the cancerous lymphocytes can break away from the main growth in the lymph glands and travel around the body in the lymphatic system and in the blood. This means that lymphoma often affects the entire body and causes symptoms in areas far from the original site of growth.

What are the common symptoms of lymphoma?
There are a number of common signs and symptoms that are associated with lymphoma however it must be pointed out that these symptoms can also be caused by numerous, less severe conditions and so anyone suffering with any of the following symptoms should not self-diagnose lymphoma. The common symptoms include:

* Swollen lymph glands – although these often develop in the neck, armpit and groin areas they can also develop in the chest and these lymph glands can not be felt externally. This means that they can be swollen for some time without causing any external swelling that can be felt with the fingers.
* Fever and night sweats – because cancerous cells are present in the body the immune system launches an attack and this causes the body’s internal temperature to rise, which is felt as a fever.
* Unexplained weight loss - lymphoma can affect any system within the body and occasionally it affects the digestive system which then fails to function at its best. This means that food is not absorbed properly and the body begins to lose weight.
* Tiredness and fatigue – again this can occur when the digestive system is affected and the impaired food absorption leaves the body with little energy. It also occurs because the body is constantly trying to fight the spread and development of cancerous cells.

How is lymphoma diagnosed?
Usually the doctor will have an idea of the diagnosis from your description of the symptoms and from performing a physical examination i.e. to feel for swelling in the lymph glands. From here he/she will refer you to the hospital for further tests which may include x-rays, CT and MRI scans to see how far the cancerous cells have spread, blood tests and even bone marrow biopsies. These tests will be able to confirm the presence of lymphoma and they will pinpoint exactly what type of lymphoma you have and how far it has progressed.

How is lymphoma treated?
There are a number of ways that lymphoma can be treated however the exact course of treatment will depend on a number of factors including what type of lymphoma is present, how far it has spread, how fast it is growing and your general state of health. The options include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and bone marrow transplants however every case is different and your course of therapy will be individual to your illness so that you have the best chance of recovery possible.

Leukemia- A Battle Lost

2008-03-13T08:16:00.002-07:00

On 28 September 2006, I received an e-mail from a man seeking help for his wife. This is what he wrote:

I write this e-mail to you in order to seek your suggestion regarding my wife’s illness.

My wife had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) type M5 in late December 2005. I brought her to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) on 1 January 2006 for further management and chemotherapy. She had 3 cycles of chemotherapies in the first 3 months. Later she underwent a Bone Marrow Transplant procedure (BMT) in late April 2006 until mid May 2006. But unfortunately, on the 75th day after BMT, the leukemia cell relapsed. After that my wife had another cycle of chemotherapy and also received donor lymphocytes.

Due to financial consideration, I moved my wife for further treatment to Malaysia in mid August 2006. She was admitted into the Subang Jaya Medical Center (SJMC) until today. At SJMC she got another cycle of chemotherapy and received another donor stem cell on 12 August 2006.

But a week ago the leukemia cells were shown to be active again and they developed quickly before donor stem cells even could work. Five days ago my wife had another cycle of chemotherapy in order to reduce the white blood cell count.

I would like to find possible therapy and treatments that will be suitable for my wife. My wife and I are Indonesians. Within the next few days, I must make a decision whether to bring back my wife home to Jakarta or stay in Malaysia. I really need your help.

Comments

The above is a 33-year-old lady. Before her diagnosis she presented with the following symptoms: fevers for 1 to 2 weeks, gum pain and bleeding, headaches and diarrhea.

Over the years I have encountered many cases of bone marrow transplant (BMT). And all the cases that I know of resulted in death. There was this young lady of eighteen. She underwent BMT in Singapore. After spending so much money, her parents had to bring her home in a coffin. At her wake service, her mother said to me: “If we knew it is like this, we would have stuck to your advice!” She realized her mistake a bit too late!

I know of a person who had to spend well over 1.5 million ringgit (US$1 = 3.5 ringgit) to save his wife from leukemia. She too died. Then there was another young lady who just started to work after graduating from her studies in Australia. She had leukemia and she too underwent BMT. I was told (rightly or wrongly) that she died while on the “operation” table.

Tham is my patient who suffered from kidney lymphoma. After undergoing some initial chemo-treatment he decided to give up chemotherapy due to severe side effects. He opted for herbs. Within nine months, the cancer went into remission. Soon after he was pronounced cancer-free, his doctor suggested that Tham undergo BMT. According to the doctor with BMT he would live ten years longer. Tham declined after consulting me. The question I posed to Tham at that time was: “The aim of the doctor was to prolong his life for ten more years with BMT, but what was not taken into consideration was the risk of dying from BMT due to various complications.” It has been eleven years since Tham was diagnosed with cancer. He is very much alive and well today. Tham is still taking the herbs.

In the case of the lady above, fortunately she did not die from the BMT procedure, but it did not cure her either. Much money had been spent on medical expenses. I only have this to say: Your life is in your hands. Decide wisely!

Lymphoid Malignant Tumours - Discovered Of A New Therapeutic Strategy

2008-03-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

The preclinic studies in a model in vivo show that the activation of the calcineurine is crucial for the maintenance of the tumoral activity several lymphomas and LAL. The cyclosporine and the FK506 cause the death of the tumoral cells indeed. A clinical trial should quickly begin at the Institute Curie to evaluate the potential of this new therapeutic strategy, and in particular of the FK506, for the treatment of the lymphomas.The lymphomas are tumours of the peripheral lymphoid system which ensures the defense of the organization against the pathogenic agents. They generally develop in the lymphatic ganglia.

One classifies them in two main categories according to the implied cells and the capacity of evolution of the tumour. One thus distinguishes the lymphomas not hodgkiniens which touch nearly 9.000 people in France and belong to cancers of which the frequency increased the most these last years, and the lymphomas of Hodgkin, rarer with 1.300 cases and whose incidence does not evolve/move. If the disease of Hodgkin touches especially young adults, the other lymphomas relate to older subjects.

The lymphomas generally develop starting from the lymphocytes B (1) and in some rarer cases of the lymphocytes T. They are characterized by the malignant proliferation of lymphoid cells which tend to infiltrate all the organization. The lymphocytes accumulate because of their incapacity with autodetruire by apoptose (2), invade the ganglia, spleen then gradually osseous marrow and blood. As osseous marrow is the seat of the hematopoïese (3) adult, this invasion involves a modularly insufficiency. This phenomenon then causes an increasingly weak production of red globules which causes an anaemia, a fall of the immunity involving of the serious infections and a reduction of the plates, at the origin of haemorrhages. The most widespread shapes of cancers in the children until adolescence, also being able to occur in the adults, acute leukaemias lymphoid T (LAL-T) are characterized, as for them, by an uncontrolled proliferation of immature cells T which invade osseous marrow, blood and the central nervous system with the detriment of the normal cells.

The calcineurine “to repair” the lymphocytesThe team “Oncogènes and hematopoietic differentiation” of the UMR 146 CNRS/Institute Curie, directed by Jacques Ghysdael study the various forms of leukemia and the cellular mechanisms leading to their development. It has just shown that the calcineurine is activated in a durable way in the lymphocytes B and T tumoral of the various lymphomas and lymphoid acute leukaemias.

This protein phosphates plays an important part in the normal development of the lymphocytes B and T and also takes part in the activation of these cells during the immunizing answer. The calcineurine, once activated, starts the proliferation of the lymphocytes T via the production of a lymphocytary growth promoter, the interleukine 2. However, the activity of the calcineurine is inhibited by the cyclosporine and FK506, two immunosuppresseurs used in private clinic to prevent the rejection of Clerc's Offices of bodies.

While using models in vivo carrying lymphomas or LAL, researchers CNRS of Institut Curie come to show that the inhibition of the calcineurine by cyclosporine A or the FK506 results in death by apoptose lymphoid cells and a tumoral regression. The calcineurine is thus essential with the maintenance of the tumoral characteristics of the lymphocytes T or B in the lymphomas and LAL, which makes a new therapeutic target of it. These two molecules being already used in private clinic, of the tests therapeutic should quickly start, first of all with the FK506, in order to evaluate their potential on lymphomas not hodgkiniens and lymphomas hodgkiniens. Intermediate results of tolerance and effectiveness are awaited as of the next year.

Twin Sisters Help Bring Awareness to Hodgkin's Lymphoma

2008-03-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

For two years, Elisa witnessed what her twin sister Anne endured battling an advanced form of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The unexpected journey started in the spring of 2005 when Anne was diagnosed with this rare but deemed curable cancer during a routine check-up for flu-like symptoms. After her diagnosis, many in the medical field as well as cancer patients commented that Hodgkin's Lymphoma was the "good" cancer to get if you had to choose a cancer.

Unfortunately, it was not the "good cancer" and the road to remission was a bumpy one. It took a rare syngeneic stem cell transplant and almost two years of back-to-back high dose chemotherapy treatment and radiation therapy to bring Anne into remission status. As her identical stem cell donor and caregiver, Elisa experienced this two-year challenging journey right along her twin sister's side. This sobering experience inspired Elisa to do something tangible in her twin sister's honor to help bring worldwide awareness to Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer wrongly deemed the "good cancer".

In February 2007, Hope & Dreams Cancer Awareness online store, featuring an assortment of Hodgkin's Lymphoma awareness t-shirt designs including unique cancer awareness designs, was launched by Elisa. Thus far, the store has generously donated the proceeds to benefit Lymphoma research in honor of Anne and in honor of those who are fighting this rare and often misunderstood cancer. Today, Anne is in remission and Elisa is grateful to God that her twin sister has been given a second opportunity to fulfill her hopes and dreams -- cancer free.

Understanding Burkitt's Lymphoma

2008-03-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

Burkitt’s lymphoma is a rare kind of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) that originates in the B-lymphocytes, a particular type of cells in the immune system that produce antibodies. The disease was described for the first time in 1956 by Denis Parsons-Burkitt, a surgeon who was working in central Africa.

Burkitt’s lymphoma is an aggressive type of NHL that mainly occurs in children. There are primarily two distinct types of Burkitt’s lymphoma, and these are the sporadic type and the endemic type. Endemic Burkitt’s lymphoma is limited to equatorial Africa that has a very high incidence of this disease. The striking characteristics of endemic variety are large tumors that form in the jaw and abdominal regions. Sporadic variety of this disease occurs in other parts of world other than central Africa. This variety involves B-cells in the bone marrow and abdomen.

Often referred to as B-cell lymphoma or B-cell leukemia, this disease originates primarily due to B-cells getting infected with Epstein-Barr virus. Other factors that aid in the occurrence of the disease include inheritance patterns and chromosomal defects. Symptoms of this disease are dependant on the site of origin of this disease. Some common symptoms observed in this disease include painful swelling of the affected area, nausea, vomiting, fever and anemia. Since the malignancy grows rapidly, the health of child also deteriorates rapidly. Diagnosis of this disease is possible through bone marrow aspiration and biopsy of the affected region. Other diagnostic procedures include determining blood counts, microscopic examination of spinal fluid and CT scans.

Even though, Burkitt’s lymphoma is a highly invasive cancer, it is also one of the more curable forms of lymphoma. The most common therapeutic approach is chemotherapy. Some of the drugs that are used for treatment include doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, methotrexate, cytarabine, ifosfamide and etoposide. However, the success of the therapy depends on the stage at which the disease is diagnosed. Other therapeutic approaches include bone marrow transplantation (BMT), immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies and radiation therapy.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma - Causes, Diagnosis, Symptoms and Treatment

2008-03-13T08:12:00.001-07:00

Lymphoma can be explained as malignant proliferation of cells that originate in the lymphatic system of the body. Lymphomas belong to a definite group of diseases called hematological neoplasms. Lymphomas are broadly classified into Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is described as uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells that are originally found in the organs of lymphatic system including thymus, lymph nodes, spleen and tonsils. There are various classifications of NHL depending on the growth of the cancerous cells, their origin and their size. Depending on the growth, NHL can be classified into high-grade, intermediate grade and low-grade lymphoma. With relation to the origin of the lymphoma, NHL is divided into T-cell lymphoma and B-cell lymphoma. NHL could also be classified into anaplastic large cell lymphoma, small cell lymphoma and mixed cell lymphoma depending on the cell size. Another classification is diffusive and follicular type of NHL that is based on the spreading of the disease.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is primarily caused in immuno-compromised individuals who are infected with microorganisms such as HIV/AIDS, EBV, Helicobacter pylori, HTLV-1 and Hepatitis C. Age is also another prominent factor. NHL has been primarily observed in individuals aged above 60.

Some common symptoms observed during NHL include fever, swollen but painless lymph nodes, unusual weight loss, excessive sweating, fatigue, uncontrolled cough and breathing problem. Diagnosis of the disease is done through physical examination of lymph nodes, Blood cell counts. The stage of the disease is established through X-rays, CT scans, MRI scan and biopsy.

Some of the common therapeutic approaches for treating NHL include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy using Rituximab. Chemotherapy regimen used for treating NHL is known as CHOP, a combinatorial approach using drugs like Cytoxan, Hydroxyrubicin (Adriamycin), Oncovin (Vincristine) and Prednisone/Prednisolone

All About Hodgkin's Lymphoma

2008-03-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hodgkin’s lymphoma or Hodgkin’s disease is a rare for of cancer which is characterized by orderly growth of malignant cells of the lymphatic system. Described for the first time by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832, this disease primarily affects the lymph nodes and later spreads to other parts of the lymphatic system.

The most significant characteristic of Hodgkin’s lymphoma is presence of malignant B-cells with unique characteristics. These cells are called as Reed-Sternberg cells. Hodgkin’s lymphoma mainly occurs in individuals with depleted immune system and persons infected with viruses including HIV, Epstein-Barr virus and HTLV-I. Epidemiology of this disease is unique. The frequency of Hodgkin’s lymphoma is predominant in two separate age groups. These include individuals between 15-35 years of age and individuals above 55 years of age.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is primarily classified into classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (CHL), nodular sclerosis (NS), lymphocyte predominance (LP), mixed cellularity (MC), Lymphocyte depleted (LD) and nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NLPHL) depending on the Reed-Sternberg cell morphology. The most common symptom of Hodgkin’s disease is swelling in the lymph nodes of the neck and chest. Other noticeable symptoms include enlarged spleen, swollen liver, fever, excessive sweating, fatigue, abnormal weight loss and itchy skin. The disease could be medically diagnosed through microscopical examination of Reed-Sternberg cells during biopsy. Other diagnostic methods include physical examination, chest X-rays, blood cell counts, and CT scan and MRI scan of the lymphatic system, PET scanning, gallium scanning and bone marrow aspiration.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is one of the first cancers to have been cured using radiation therapy. Other therapeutic approaches include chemotherapy, bone marrow and peripheral blood transplantation and immunotherapy. The common chemotherapeutic regimens followed for the treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma include ABVD (Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarabzine), BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone), COPP/ABVD, MOPP (mechlorethamine, oncovin, procarbazine, prednisone) and Stanford V.

Anemia - Do You Have it?

2008-03-13T08:10:00.002-07:00

Anemia goes undetected in many people, and symptoms can be vague. Anemia can be caused by a deficiency in folate, iron and/or vitamins and can take months to years to develop. It is more a process of a disease, rather than a disease itself. In menstruating women and young mothers, dietary iron deficiency is a common cause of deficient red blood cell production. Some of the more common symptoms of nutritional deficiency anemia are fatigue, chest pain, trouble breathing, weight loss, weakness, dizziness, pale skin. Anemia can make you feel weak, cold, dizzy and irritable. Pale skin and nail beds are often a useful diagnostic sign in moderate or severe anemia, but it is not always apparent.

You are 'anemic' when there is not enough oxygen in the blood. This happens when there are not enough red blood cells being produced. Oxygenated blood helps give your body its energy and your skin a healthy glow. Red Blood Cells carry the oxygen from your lungs to your brain and the rest of your body and each blood cell only lives for about 100 days. Therefore, the body is constantly needing to replace them.

The production of the cells is a function of the bone marrow. Folate (Vitamin B9), iron, Vitamins C and B12 are required to produce healthy red blood cells. If there is a deficiency of Vitamin C which assists in the absorption of dietary iron, the bone marrow produces smaller and fewer cells. A deficiency of Folate and Vitamin B12 results in the bone marrow producing large underdeveloped red blood cells resulting in a shortage of cells.

Fortunately, these deficiencies can usually be corrected through a balanced diet containing green leafy vegetables and citrus fruit and juices for Folate, red and white meat and dairy products for vitamin B12, citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, green peppers, cantaloupe and potatoes for vitamin C. Smoking interferes with the absorption of nutrients, especially vitamin C which helps your body absorb iron, an important building block of red blood cells. Alcohol also effects your ability to absorb nutrients. Some drugs can cause a vitamin deficiency as well.

There may also be another reason for the deficiency of vitamin B12 other than diet. As the liver stores large quantities of B12, it can take a period of time before a deficiency becomes apparent. If there has been an operation on the stomach such as a gastric bypass, vitamin B12 may not be able to be broken down from the food eaten and therefore not absorbed into the body. If this is the case, there are Vitamin B12 shots available to replenish the levels.

Different types of anemia have different causes. However, generally when feelings of constant fatigue, dizziness, pale skin and lack of energy occur, it is advisable to consult a doctor and have blood tests to determine if the blood count is normal. If not, the doctor can then investigate the reasons.

Most people do not realize they are anemic and many complain of weakness or fatigue blaming it on stress, depression, lifestyle etc.. Quite often it is due to a prolonged lack of proper nutrition. A busy and hectic lifestyle can lead to developing a habit of fast foods which lacks the necessary fruit and vegetables in the diet. The effects of a low nutritional diet can take months to years to have a noticeable effect and produce anemia. Altering this habit and changing to a nutritional diet is probably the best prevention.

There is also a new product available as a support to balancing the blood by providing vitamins and iron through absorption through the skin - meaning no tablets necessary. You can read more about it at the Bio Health Chip Store. Always see a doctor if you suspect you have anemia as there are more serious causes that may be present.

A Good Survival of Lymphoma - Having a Good Time Anyway

2008-03-13T08:10:00.001-07:00

I couldn't believe my oncologist was telling me I had to have my chemo treatment on my 60th birthday. I didn't know what bothered me the most to tell the truth, having chemo or turning 60. I told my oncologist that this was mightily unfair, and in my usual manipulative ways, conveyed to her the logic of slicing a few days off here and there. However, she said to me, "Uma, you have a good chance of beating this and I'm not going to screw around with the dates."

So there it was. I sat crying for at least 20 minutes, railing at the unfairness of it all when suddenly I thought, "My God, I'm really hurting myself by doing this. I'm getting all upset and probably destroying what immune system I have left." So then I became defiant, and said to myself,"I'm going to have a good time anyway." And I did. My friends gathered around me the night of my 60th, a special friend created a painting for me, and we had a jolly good time. Sometimes I think it was the first time I ever really understood what surrender was. It was a time when I really was aware of not having a choice but finding my choice when I let go.

As it turned out, my chemo nurses, two very funny and compassionate ladies, brought me a birthday cake. They were hysterical at the outfits I chose to wear to chemo. Since I was nearly balding, I wore a back ski cap which young gang members doff or au courant kidnappers wear, gray pajama pants decorated with little cats, a plaid shirt worn because it was the only one that opened from the front for my port and bright azure blue cashmere socks given to me by a dear friend who also did my laundry. A few weeks later that outfit got me into trouble.

I was on my way to chemo, and it was an emotionally blustery day for me, angry and self-pitying that I had to drive myself. I didn't make a full stop at a corner before turning on to the highway. Next thing I know I am hearing the siren of a policeman. So I pull over and hear, "Get out of the car with your hands up." I thought that was pretty extreme for an illegal right turn. Eager to comply, I got out of the car with my hands up. The cutest cop stood there with his gun drawn and as soon as he saw me, he began to laugh. He said that my car was similar to one that had just held up a bank and combined with my black ski cap, I was an instant suspect. We both laughed and eager for a good time, as I always was, I asked him if he would like to escort me to the hospital, sirens blaring, etc. He demurred but since he was so cute, I considered asking him if he would like to frisk me, seeing that I hadn't been frisked in a long time. But leaving well enough alone, I got into my car and laughed all the way to the chemo room, telling the nurses that story and forever being called a criminal by them from then on. I might add, their favorite criminal.

Interestingly, I had never been vain and thought I wouldn't care if I lost my hair and in some ways, that was true, except when I saw myself without it. It wasn't the hair so much as I looked so pitiful. Always having a weight problem, when I looked into the mirror I said to myself, I look like a fat concentration camp victim. And then the sadness wore in.

I remember one night very well, 3 am in the morning, looking at myself in the mirror, shaved head, blister on my lip from the chemo, terrible inflammation in my chest, writing to my spiritual teacher, saying, "Do you remember the story about the Tibetan monk, imprisoned by the Chinese for 20 years and when asked what the worst thing that happened to him, he said, "When they nailed my feet to the floor, I almost lost my temper." And then I thought, "Screw that, I as a Jew, think that the worst thing is that I am about to lose my sense of humor." But as I wrote about it to my teacher, I started to describe my brilliant and intuitive Indian born oncologist who in her high pitched voice could ask you to pass her a chapatti and with the same cheery detachment in her voice, tell you she was recommending that your pancreas and large intestines be removed by dinner. Of course, we all know what good-natured malice does. It eventually restores one's good humor.

Before diagnosis is really the worst time, because you don't know what to do. It's a time of real powerlessness. In my case, it seemed I was throwing up on a whim at all times. I later found out it had nothing to do with the disease, but occurred when my stress was at an all time high, a time when I had not discovered the joys of ativan. But more likely from ingesting some very high-powered dark green Chinese herbs that an herbalist had sworn had made her very young and strong boyfriend survive his brain tumor. This of course fed into my desire to take all those peculiar and heavily touted immune stimulating items I would never have touched before, but which began to lure me to them with their siren calls. "Cancer runs from me. Take me; I will heal you."

It is also the time of looking for that vegetable juicer you gave to your hippie niece. And buying that 25-pound bag of carrots and dark green veggies. In your state of hysteria, you find yourself asking the veggies and juicer for forgiveness for having ignored them. I can't tell you how many people who upon discovering they have cancer, start to slug down gallons of carrot juice. What they don't usually know is that carrots being as sweet as they are can contribute to your diabetes or hypoglycemia, not to mention their tendency to turn your skin orange, also contributing to the suspicion that you not only have cancer, but hepatitis. Pre-diagnosis time is also a time when you make bargains to forever eat wheat grass and be kind to people whom you don't like.

My sister, God bless her, immediately made me an appointment with a macrobiotic counselor. He was a true healer, and what I mean by that he didn't have a ready made shtick that he would impose on me, giving me guilt about the choice I made to take chemo. Since I had been a vegetarian for many about 30 years years, was a holistic practitioner and masseuse, I subscribed to a holistic way of life and naturally considered chemo at the outset to be my worst choice. But surprisingly enough, especially to me, when I heard my diagnosis, I immediately turned to my oncologist and said, "When can the chemo start?" Knowing my background (I had given her many massages), she was as surprised as I. I had been classified as Stage Two and instinctively felt that chemo was my best chance for survival. And I didn't want to be sorry while I was drinking wheat grass and taking enemas that my cancer was progressing. This of course was a very personal choice. My macro guy concurred with me, and said very simply to me, "You know, Uma, if you lived by the seashore or high in the mountains, you might have a chance of curing yourself naturally; but you don't and I think your decision to take chemo is a wise one." Thank you, Lino, for your wisdom, because I am still here and kicking.

I also remembered two holistic style friends, one an herbalist and the other an acupuncturist who had literally kept their heads in the sand during the early stages and as the cancer progressed, the acupuncturist belatedly started chemo. My other friend, the herbalist, attempted to treat her breast cancer with some red paste from Georgia. known for removing tumors from animals, and absolutely refusing to consult a doctor. I remember her calling me the last days of her life looking for some kind of pain medication and my begging her to see a physician.

As you can see keeping a sense of humor was an absolute necessity especially around the beginning of your journey. I withstood some very hysterically funny and sometimes annoying comments. In an effort to survive it all, I created my Top Ten List of the Dumbest Things People Say When you Have a Diagnosis of Cancer. Here they are:

1. I'm sorry, Uma, that you have lymphoma. My boyfriend died of that last year.
2. Do you have the good kind or the bad kind?
3. Uma, I'd like you to try these treatments. They were very effective on this woman who died last year.
4. Not to worry, my dog had lymphoma and after three chemo treatments, she is just bouncing around.
5. What must your karma be to have that?
6. I think you are so brave to be doing chemotherapy. I myself would die before I did it.
7. I once had a lump in my breast, but I really didn't want it, so it went away.
8. I have some vitamins I would like to sell you. We could both make a profit.
9 I have this lump on my head. Do you think it could be lumphoma?
10. They say that people who have a lot of anger get cancer. Do you feel that's true in your case?

You know when some of your old antagonists are afraid you are going to die, because they have started sniffing around you, wondering if it was time to ask your forgiveness now or whether they should wait until you are on your deathbed. I myself never believe in deathbed forgiveness. I know that it seems wonderful, but I truly wonder whether it is true forgiveness when you are still smarting from the pain of your childhood. I know everybody is really thrilled at the open hearts expressed, but my cynicism thinks that it is a short lived reunion and you as an adult are still suffering the results of that unloved childhood. I have felt that true forgiveness comes when you yourself feel that you are no longer victimized and you heal yourself from within. It's not like somebody saying, "Dad's dying; time to forgive." I don't think forgiveness automatically kicks in.

You do find it difficult at this time to hold a grudge. A woman with whom I had a hard time when finding out I was ill came to me and said, "I hear you have cancer." And when I looked at her face, I saw the struggle was off the table. I didn't have the time or strength to hold onto my anger with her and neither did she. Strangely enough, when I recovered, we picked up where we had left off, but this time I made a serious and successful attempt to let go of my anger with her because as Carly Simon sang, "I didn't have time for the pain."

There were other benefits at having a potentially terminal disease.

1.People cut you a lot of slack; you don't have to be so "on"all the time. When you are on chemo, you have that wonderful diagnosis of "chemo brain" It's the time when your brain is not firing on all cylinders and there are many lapses between the utterance and the thought. When things get boring, or somebody is speaking overly long, you can just look blank and mutter "chemo brain" and all is forgiven.

2.People are more inclined to offer assistance to balding women, especially if you don't wear your kerchief. That is a true and glaring statement of your physical health. Don't be afraid to go without your kerchief. You are giving people a chance to express some kindness, which is good karma for them. It's almost the closest to feeling like a monarch or at least a movie star.

3.If you are like me, never having had real time off from work, you get to sit around and watch Law and Order without feeling guilty, because the only thing that is expected of you is to survive. Nobody gives you a hard time because your only job now is to fight for your life and survive.

4.You are given an automatic, if invisible, cancer card. This entitles you to discounts at sales even if the sale is long over. I have experienced when people noticed my bald head, they would give me the sale price even if the sale were over.

5.You can go to the head of line in most lines with people smiling at you.

6. People take you out to dinner a lot. I was convinced that they had said, "This is a good time to take Uma out because she probably won't be eating that much. " What they didn't know was that my tastes had changed and upleveled considerably. I only wanted to eat at the really nice restaurants. I had started to treat myself nicer and take better care of myself; I even bought new clothes. It had suddenly become very important to me to look good. I didn't want people to say, "Poor Uma, she doesn't look good." I wanted to be flattered. I considered one of my survival tools to be people looking at me happily instead of pityingly,remembering a friend who had cancer for 25 years and made people happy because she always managed to look beautiful. Lastly, if I was to say what was the really great benefit of cancer, I would say it gave me the chance to get more real, to drop a social mask we all wear. I didn't have to put a face on what was happening. If somebody inquired of my health, when I felt ill, I said so, and when I felt well, I told the truth. I was later told that because I answered matter of factly rather than self-pityingly, people were more comfortable and natural around me. Nobody wants to be around self-pity, even if it's deserved.

When a very close friend of mine learned of my diagnosis, I saw her immediately go into cheerleading mode. She said, "Uma, you'll write a book; you'll use this to its fullest and you'll become famous, etc." I looked at her quizzically and said, "Lily, I don't know if I'm going to survive." We just sat there and looked at each other. I couldn't put a face on what was happening; I couldn't pretend that I wasn't looking at impending death. I just became me and in that place I remember along with the fear, a sense of relief. As a therapist, I preferred working with people who had cancer because they seemed the most authentic. Cancer wipes a mask off and if you survive, you hopefully retain that same authenticity in your life. That is a great gift - to be just you without a mask. Most of us don't know that we even wear ones; we become so anxious to please our family or our friends in subtle and not so subtle ways. But when you have a life threatening illness, it is time to do whatever you can to preserve that life. I didn't know that life meant as much to me as when I became fearful of dying. And as my mask wore off, I felt my true self begin to emerge. There came a richness and fullness that I will always be grateful for.

Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Lymphoma

2008-03-13T08:09:00.001-07:00

Lymphoma is a term for cancers of the lymphatic system, which includes the spleen, the lymph nodes, and lymphatic vessels. Hodgkin's disease is a type of lymphoma that typically affects young men under the age of 30. All other types of lymphatic cancers are grouped under the term nonHodgkin's lymphoma. The types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma vary from non-aggressive (those that remain in the lymphatic system) to aggressive (those that spread, either quickly or slowly, to other organs of the body). Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma usually affects men over the age of 40.

When detected early, Hodgkin's disease is easily treated and has a high cure rate. In fact, close to 90 percent of all cases are cured. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, while not as easy to cure, is often successfully treated.

The exact cause of lymphoma is unknown though the disease is suspected to have a hereditary component.

Signs and Symptoms

Painless swelling of lymph nodes

Itching all over the body

Chronic or intermittent fever and chills

Fatigue and weakness

Appetite and weight loss

Coughing and shortness of breath

Conventional Medical Treatment

If you suspect you have lymphoma, see your physician immediately. To diagnose the condition, your doctor gives you a thorough physical examination, as well as blood and urine tests. If lymphoma is suspected, your doctor may perform a chest X-ray or tomography scan of your abdomen A lymph node biopsy or bone marrow bioPSY may be used to confirm diagnosis.

Radiation is the most common avenue of treatment for Hodgkin's disease; if the cancer is wide spread, chemotherapy is often used. In cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chemotherapy is the preferred treatment, but radiation is sometimes used. Surgery is rarely used as a treatment option for lymphoma. (See "Conventional Medical treatment" in the "Bladder Cancer" entry for more information on radiation and chemotherapy.)

Complementary and Alternative Treatments

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Acupunture Acupuncture can be very effective in clearing toxins from the lymphatic system and in helping manage lymphoma-related pain and/or treatmentrelated nausea.

Acupressure This form of massage can be useful in draining toxic lymph nodes and improving the flow of chi throughout the entire lympathic system.

Chinese Herbal Therapy Herbs can be used as tonics to repair damage that chemotherapy and radiation may inflict on the body's immune system. Popular immunity fortifying herbs include formulas such as Rehmannia Six and Cerebral Tonic Pills, along with added angelica, astragalus, Chinese yarn, codonopsis, cordyceps, ginseng, and gotu kola.

Leukemia - Blood Cancer

2008-03-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

RBC - Red Blood Cells (Carry Oxygen)

WBC - White Blood Cells (Also called leukocytes, they are part of body's immune system. These cells have several subcategories and they have roles to fight with the invaders such as bacteria, viruses and foreign proteins.

Platelets - Helps in blood clotting.

These cells are produced inside bone marrow that presents inside the bone cavities. Leukemia affected bone marrow produces large number of abnormal white blood cells making patient extremely fragile to infection. Leukemia can be acute or chronic. Acute Leukemia is most dangerous.

Examples of Acute Leukemia are.

• Acute myelocytic leukaemia (AML)

• Acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL)

Examples of Chronic Leukemia are.

• Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)

• Chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML)

It is possible to have chronic leukaemia for months or even years without knowing it.

What are the symptoms?

• Tiredness due to Anemia.

• Paleness of the face.

• Bruising easily even without falling. A purple/dark red spot around bruise indicates less platelet count.

• Repeated Infections.

• Weight Loss.

• Loss of appetite.

• Fever.

• Sweats.

• Enlarged Lymph Glands.

• Fever.

• Enlarged spleen cause enormous pain in the stomach.

• Bleeding from Gum, Nose and Ears due to lack of platelets in the blood stream.

What cause Leukaemia?

The causes are not very clearly known some reasons are...

• Genetic Effects.

• Exposure to retroviruses.

How it is diagnosed?

Many times it is diagnosed by chance when blood test is performed for other reasons. Doctors can diagnose based on the blood reports but bone marrow test is used to confirm the diagnosis. Special test such as chromosome study is performed to classify the Leukaemia.

What is the treatment?

It usually involves intensive chemotherapy. Drugs are given as injection into veins. Other chemotherapy drugs such as fludarabine (Fludara) may be used in late stage disease. In bone marrow failure steroid treatment is given to recover the bone marrow. Chemotherapy drugs are very strong and have some side effects like fatigue, loss of hair and loss of appetite. It also kills the healthy bone marrow thus making patient weaker. These drugs can not distinguish between healthy and ill cells. Milder cases can be cured by regular blood transfusion. X-ray therapy (Radiation) given to infected lymph or to whole body depends on the level of the disease. In some cases bone marrow transplant can be done but this is very expensive treatment and out of the reach of a poor common man. Patient need a matching bone marrow donor as body easily rejects foreign bone marrow. Fifty to sixty percent patients live normal life after bone marrow transplant. Since this disease can occur any time again so regular monitoring is required.

I hope that this article would be informative. I am also writing an article how cancer can be cured using Pranayam, Yoga, Food and Natural herbs. I will also talk about the website alternative cancer care and about the Green Blood

How Strong Are You?

2008-03-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

As children many of us thought strength was only measured in physical terms; how many pounds you could lift, how big your muscles were, how successful you were in an arm wrestling match. As we grew older we came to realize that strength was also mental; how to resist peer pressure, how to stay home and study for that exam even though all your friends are out partying. For many of us, our physical strength gets tested more often than the mental so we can't categorically answer, How strong are you?

How many of us would be able to go through chemotherapy with a smile? How many of us would handle losing their hair with panache? How many of us would be able to face your mortality head on and have absolute faith even through the darkest hour that there would be a tomorrow? The strongest person I know was able to do all that and more. She barely touches 5'5, she cannot bench press half her weight and she would probably lose in an arm wrestling match but strong she is.

She was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the age of 26, three and a half months ago. From the beginning she was the one telling you "Don't worry, I'm going to be fine", she was the one to make you smile, help you feel better. One of her doctors calls her "Sunshine" and that she is. We've know each other more than 10 years, she was always the more flamboyant one, she stepped into a room and charmed everyone in seconds. The Yin to my Yang, I prefer being an observer and she loves being the center of attention.

In late 2007 as my 26th birthday approached we decided we would have a Thanksgiving get together with all our friends and celebrate the official cross over to late-twenties-only-a-few-years-from-thirty event. By that time everyone was scattered across North America and we would have a weekly teleconference with up to four ladies on the phone giggling and talking for hours on end. Our tickets were booked, our topics for drunken discussion were written, our bags were half way packed and we were ready. Our plans were forever changed.

On November 1 my best friend was diagnosed with Leukemia. You think ... LEUKEMIA?! BUT SHE'S ONLY 26?! THE DOCTORS MUST BE WRONG! In our naivety we think we are immortal, think our age somehow protects us ... how wrong we are. November 1 - diagnosis, November 2 - immediate treatment. It's all happening so fast, you turn to Google for answers, you search for "Acute Myeloid Leukemia" and read a medical journal that says " ... if left untreated the person can die in a matter of weeks". Oh. My. God. Your worry doubles, yet you're still grateful it was caught it in time. Thank you Lord!

You start hearing words like chemotherapy, biopsy, transfusion, transplant and you can't imagine what your friend must be going through if you are so devastated. And yet her spirit still shines like a beacon ... Absolutely amazing. You experience first hand the pain she's going through, you hear her bed rattle because she is uncontrollably shivering as a side effect of her medication, you count at least 7 different cocktail of medications being fed to her intravenously, you see her lose 30 pounds in 6 weeks, you rub anti-itching lotion on her body because yet another medication causes her to itch all over and yet her absolute belief in her healing never wavers. Even through her tears, she trusted. Even in her pain, she believed. And that is STRENGTH.

For many the worrying and what ifs would compound their problems, the doubts would stifle their spirit; the depression would increase their pain. I don't think I have that kind of strength, I would like to hope that I do but having lived a fairly 'test free' life so far, so I can't say with absolute certainty that I would. My friend's situation has opened my eyes, made me more compassionate to others' situation. It wasn't that I didn't feel sympathy but it never hit you at that deep level I guess because you couldn't relate. Unfortunately it takes us or someone close to us going through such a situation for us to know.

My friend is not out of the woods yet. Her cancer is currently in remission however she needs to have a bone marrow transplant done, as the results of photo-genetic tests show the probability of her cancer reoccurring is very high. She has a long road ahead of her but thankfully she is now out of the hospital. The search for a donor is on, she has three siblings and none matched. When we are healthy we never realize how something as small as a pint of our blood can change someone's life. Become a donor.

My friend's experience has taught everyone around her to value the seconds, minutes, hours. Value your relationships ... one small deed can make the difference in another's life. Her lesson to us is to prove that mental fortitude can conquer the physical. She continues to smile through the pain and hold firm in her belief.

I Bet They Play Whiffle Ball Now In Heaven

2008-03-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

After the death of my grandfather, a few years passed and I began to hear about a friend of mine who was having quite a health challenge.

Juan Chesson was probably the nicest guy you would ever meet. He was a year older than me. I was in several classes with his younger brother, Harold. Their father was a teacher and coached high school football and baseball. Consequently, Juan participated in sports and grew up playing whiffle ball, basketball and football with his brother and friends in their backyard. When he got older, Juan played high school football and baseball. Of course, he received all of the sportsmanship awards.

An avid runner, Juan stayed in better shape than any of us once we graduated high school. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, many of us would get together and play basketball full-court. Several of the players had been all-conference and all-state athletes. Yet no one wanted to guard Juan, because he was always in such great shape!

A good student, he graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Mathematics. He eventually became a high school teacher and baseball coach in Asheville, North Carolina. He had a happy and satisfying career and was making a difference in the lives of his young students.

Then he found out he had leukemia.

Juan went through the traditional medical treatments, using chemotherapy. After a lengthy battle, the leukemia went into remission. When we heard the news, we all let out a sigh of relief. After all, Juan was one of the good guys. But he was not yet out of the woods.

Eventually the leukemia came back again, this time stronger than ever. Juan fought the good fight, but this time the disease won. Shelton Juan Chesson, Jr. passed away in the fall of 1999. He was just thirty-two years old. He left behind a wife who was eight months pregnant.

Juan's death made me think long and hard about a few things. I realized that I could take nothing for granted in life, especially my health. If it could happen to Juan, it could happen to anybody.