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Colon Cancer From Cheese?

Posted by Asbestos Poot Sunday, March 25, 2012 0 comments
My neighbor was labeled as "cheese man", as he used to bring us lovely cheese specialties from his privately owned cheese house. After 2 years of the launching of the business, he disappeared and no one knew where he had gone. We started to worry. Later, after he returned home, we were informed that he had been to the hospital because he had developed colon cancer. How? - we wondered as he ate the right kinds of food. He used to eat high-fiber food for breakfast, yogurt, juice, tons of fruits, and cheese. He was one of the healthiest people we had ever known.

There was no reason for him to develop colon cancer, yet it happened. The reason? Constant exposure to cold in his cheese depot. He used to spend 8 hours in a huge fridge. A large piece of his colon had to be removed and he was living with a bag hanging from his side. He had immense pain and could only eat liquid for nearly six months. I have seen his pain and struggle, since then I have been very conscious of my circumstances and the exposure to which my body is object.

Cancer does not differentiate. It can come to everyone. Yet not many of us are aware of the risks that lead to developing this disease. Our digestive system is at times not given due importance or attention. People are not clear about the difference between their appendix, small intestine, and colon.

What causes colon cancer? Colon cancer can develop from growing of polyps in the colon. These growths that have a mushroom-like shape, are not deadly, but some may develop into cancer with time. The cancer is diagnosed through colonoscopy, a rather painful examination. Treatment is via surgical intervention which in certain cases has to be followed by chemotherapy.

The patient in many cases do not experiences any symptoms, i.e., asymptomatic. Therefore, fecal occult blood testing is recommended to be carried out on a regular basis. Symptoms become stronger with the lesion being closer to the anus. Such symptoms are changing in bowel habits. For example, change in frequency, quality and consistency of stool, bloody stools, stools with mucus, stool with melena (black color due to oxidation of the iron in hemoglobin as it passes through the colon.) Anemia with dizziness, anorexia, and asthenia, weakness are symptoms as well.

Mostly people over the age of 60 are at risk of developing colon cancer. Removal of colon polyps in time reduces the possible risk of cancer. Individuals with previous colon cancer are apt to developing it again in the future. This disease can be developed on hereditary basis. Needless to say, smoking is a high risk for this type of cancer.

Insufficient consumption of fresh vegetables and fish, and over consumption of red meat can lead to this disease. Naturally, if you are physically active, your digestive system works better and faster, therefore you are at less risk. Human papilloma virus can be the cause of this cancer, therefore you need to check the nature of your virus with your physician when you catch any. Early diagnosis can save your life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/542086

Your Breast Cancer Treatment Team

Posted by Asbestos Poot 0 comments
Today, the majority of breast cancers are diagnosed by mammography. There cancers are small, often too small to be felt and surgeons usually rely on radiologists to localize these small cancers with a hook wire or some injected dye. The technology has changed drastically and we have entered a new era of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Because of the many elements that come into play in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, coordination is necessary among the team of physicians: surgeon, radiation oncologist, cancer pathologist, plastic surgeon, radiologist and medical oncologist.
Ideally, a woman with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer communicates with a primary physician who takes charge of developing a treatment plan with her and then coordinates its implementation. These team members can work at a single institution or be drawn from a wider geographic distribution and any of the cancer specialists can act as the coordinating physician. Often, it is the medical oncologist who coordinates the flow of information and treatment for the patient, but many surgeons and radiation oncologists take on this pivotal role as well.
It is important that breast cancer patients find a cancer specialist that she can communicate with and who will address her concerns. However, there are medical systems in which it may be difficult for the patient to connect with one physician who will act as her coordinating team leader. If you are in this situation, don't despair. You just need adequate information to get you the treatment you need and be your own team leader. It is possible to go through this process without a physician to spearhead your treatment plan and still get high quality health care.
The overall treatment plan revolves around two critical decisions. One deals with local control and the second with the need for systemic therapy. Often, cancer patients and their doctors cannot decide upon the issue of systemic therapy until all the information is available from the surgical procedure.
Since the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are done primarily on an outpatient basis, cancer patients may travel to various locations for different aspects of treatment. Some women may come to a breast cancer facility for the definitive surgery and then have radiotherapy at a facility closer to their home. If patients require various therapies, it is important to consider doing something similar in order to make treatment appointments as convenient as possible.
One of the key tools used in coordinating a woman's care is a treatment planning conference. This conference is a meeting of treatment team members to discuss the patient's case and to develop a coordinated treatment plan based on the patient's situation. The conference allows each of the team members to view a common history, the radiological breast images, the pathology report and pathology images. The patient is usually excluded from the treatment planning conference in order to allow an honest exchange of opinions between the team members. The treatment planning conference is very important in coordinating care. Each of the potentially treating physicians can, in one setting, agree on an overall treatment plan and their particular contribution to that plan. This united approach also guarantees that the physicians line up the sequencing of the different therapies correctly and in the manner that is most beneficial to the cancer patient.
Besides benefiting the woman with breast cancer, the nature of the conference itself promotes education and understanding on the part of various physicians involved. Women diagnosed in the future stand to benefit greatly from the shared pool of information that these conferences provide medical professionals in general.

source : ezinearticles

Breast Cancer - Young Women

Posted by Asbestos Poot Saturday, March 24, 2012 0 comments
Although many people believe that young women don't get breast cancer, the fact is they can and they do. One in every 229 women between the ages of 30 and 39 will be diagnosed with breast cancer within the next 10 years.
The statistics that surround younger women and breast cancer are frightening. Although only a small percentage of all new breast cancer cases each year involve women aged 40 and younger, breast cancer is still the leading cause of death for women between the ages of 15 and 54. The number of young women diagnosed each year with breast cancer is between 11-12,000. Close to 1400 of those women will die each year. A lot of young women and their doctors do not realize that they too are at risk for this disease.
One of the problems with detection of breast cancer in younger women is that a mammogram is not an effective screening tool for women under 40. Younger women tend to have dense breast tissue and that prevents tumors or areas of calcifications to be seen in the film. Because of the lack of screening tools, younger women are often diagnosed at a later stage in the disease than their older counterparts. In addition, young women's cancers are generally more aggressive and have lower rates of survival. The survival rate for 5 years is 83% for younger women - lower than the survival rate for post-menopausal women.
Another issue that impacts younger women who have breast cancer is that most research is done on breast cancer patients who are over the age of 40 or post-menopausal. Younger women are an underrepresented population in research studies. The drug Tamoxifen is an example of a drug which affects post-menopausal women differently than pre-menopausal women, so younger women who are prescribed this drug as treatment need to do careful research on their own to make sure that the benefits outweigh the risks of the drug.
An additional area of concern for younger women who have breast cancer include issues such as early onset on menopause and fertility issues. Many young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have not yet begun a family. One of the side effects of chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapies can be irreversible menopause. Tamoxifen is a drug that can affect fertility, so again, younger women will need to research their choices carefully if they plan to have children or start a family in the future. One of the newer treatments for women with hormone receptive breast cancer has only been shown to be effective with post-menopausal women, so a treatment option that younger women will have to make in the future is if they want to take tamoxifen OR shut down or remove their ovaries to bring on early menopause to benefit from a more effective treatment.
The final issue that young women with breast cancer face is the isolation they sometimes feel - brought about by being the youngest in their support group and having to deal with different issues than their older counterparts. One organization which helps provide a network for young breast cancer survivors is the Young Survival Coalition.
Remember - no woman is too young to have Breast Cancer.
Michael Russell

source : ezinearticles

Breast Cancer Symptoms And Diagnosis

Posted by Asbestos Poot Thursday, March 22, 2012 0 comments
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in women if the relatively less aggressive skin cancer is excluded from counting. Breast cancer accounts for about 32 percent of all cancer diagnosed in women.
Breast cancer is very uncommon in male. In families carrying the breast cancer associated genes, male members may be affected disproportionately compared to the general population. In the general population female to male breast cancer may occur at a rate of 1 to 100 (1:100 for male: female).
Prior to introduction of mammography screening breast cancer was often diagnosed as a large lump in the breast, because women were not paying attention to the development of breast tumors. Introduction of mammography had significantly changed the natural history breast caner. In industrialized nations like the United States breast caner is most commonly detected on mammography screening. Mammography screening also brought a great sense of awareness to women and this has resulted in earlier detection of breast cancer.
Even if a woman does not get mammography screening, they are very much aware of the risk of development of breast cancer and thus tend to observe and even examine their breasts. Most women do self-breast examination in between mammograms. Because of this increased awareness, women presenting with locally advanced breast cancer are quite rare in the industrialized nations.
In some women breast cancer may have spread to distant organs, before mammography screening or symptoms showed the breast cancer. This can happen because early stage breast cancer does not usually cause any symptoms. If the cancer has spread to other organs these women may present with symptoms related to these organs. For example if the cancer has spread to the bone the woman may develop bone pain or bone fracture.
Diagnosis of breast cancer involves a biopsy procedure. Most often an abnormality in the mammogram leads to a biopsy, many other times, the woman may have felt a lump in the breast or the physician examining the patient may have felt a lump in the breast

source : ezinearticles

Colon Cancer Causes and Risk Factors

Posted by Asbestos Poot Wednesday, March 21, 2012 0 comments
You or a family member have been diagnosed with colon cancer and you want to know what caused this cancer. Doctors don't know the exact cause of colon cancer, but they do know that it usually starts as small growths on the inside of the colon called polyps. These polyps can take years to grow large enough to be seen during a routine colonoscopy and then it takes several more years for those polyps to become cancerous.

While the exact cause of colon cancer is unknown, there are several risk factors that can increase your chances of developing this cancer. A risk factor is something that can raise the chances of you developing cancer or another disease. Some risk factors, such as age, cannot be changed while others, such as diet, can be modified and reduce the risk. The risk factors for colon cancer range from age to hereditary diseases.

The first risk factor for colon cancer is the most common. It is your age. Approximately 90% of all colon cancer cases are found in people over the age of 50. Many of these cases have no other risk factors, making this the most important factor in developing this cancer. This is why many doctors suggest getting a colonoscopy as part of your annual exam starting at age 50.

Another risk factor for developing colon cancer is your family's medical history and any hereditary diseases that may affect the development of colon polyps. If a member of your immediate family (parents, siblings, or children) has had colon cancer, you are more likely to develop it. The risk depends upon how many relatives have had it, how old they were when they were diagnosed and if the history spans multiple generations. This is referred to as a strong family history of colon cancer and may be caused by genetic mutations. These mutations are more common in certain ethnic groups, such as Jews of Eastern European heritage. If this is your case, you may want to have a blood test to check for any genetic mutations.

These genetic changes can cause several conditions, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP) and hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC). All of these genetic conditions can develop into colon cancer, if left untreated. These conditions are rare and few of the people diagnosed with colon cancer actually have them.

Your medical history also contributes to your risk of developing colon cancer. Your risk is higher if you have had any cancer in the past. Large polyps, even after removal, can increase your chances of developing colon cancer. There are also certain diseases that can increase your risk of colon cancer, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

The final - and easiest to change - risk factors are diet, exercise and habits. A high fat, high calorie and high protein diet has been shown to increase the chances of you developing colon cancer. This type of diet may also contribute to another risk factor, weight. Lack of exercise also contributes to your risk. You can minimize these three risk factors by making some simple changes such as eating more fruits and vegetables and beginning exercise. These two changes will help you lose weight and improve your diet. Smoking and drinking also contribute to colon cancer risk. Some studies have shown that smoking increases your chance of developing colon cancer. Alcoholics are also at an increased risk for colon cancer because of their alcohol consumption. Studies have shown that drinking more than 2 drinks a day increases the risk of colon cancer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/583302

Colon Cancer: Are You At Risk?

Posted by Asbestos Poot Tuesday, March 20, 2012 0 comments
Colon cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers for both men and women in the Untied States. It is important that you understand your risk for developing this disease, as well as lifestyle changes you can make now to reduce your chances of falling victim to colon cancer.
Cancer of the large intestine, or colon, typically begins as small clumps of cells called adenomatous polyps. Often, these small polyps form in your colon and produce few, if any, symptoms. If they are not removed, they may eventually become cancerous. This is why physicians recommend routine screening to identify and remove polyps before they become a problem.
One of the best ways to prevent death from colon cancer is to have regular screenings. Because more than 90% of all colorectal cancers are found in people who are 50 and older, the American Cancer Society recommends that you start getting routine colon screenings at age 50. If you have a family history of this disease, your physician may recommend that you start screening earlier.
Three of the most common screenings for colon cancer include a stool test, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy. Your physician will make recommendations for how often you should have these tests administered.
Aside from age, there are some other risk factors that may make you more susceptible to developing colon cancer. Some of these factors include:
  • Race
  • African-Americans have a higher risk for developing this disease than people of other races
  • Family history
  • Parents, siblings, and children of a person diagnosed with colon cancer are at a higher risk than the average person of developing the disease themselves.
  • Personal history of polyps or cancer
  • Inflammatory intestinal conditions
  • Two of the most common conditions are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
  • High fat, low fiber diet
  • Obesity
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Heavy use of alcohol
While some of these risk factors, like race and age, cannot be changed, there are some lifestyle alterations that you can make to reduce your chance of developing this type of cancer. Keep in mind that just because you have one or more of these risks, it does not mean you will develop colon cancer. You should talk with your physician about these risk factors so that he or she can provide adequate screening and give you suggestions for a healthy lifestyle.
Many people exhibit few, if any, symptoms of colon cancer in the early stages of the disease. As it progresses, patients may notice unexplained weight loss, persistent abdominal discomfort, a change in their bowel habits, rectal bleeding, blood in their stool, weakness, or excessive fatigue. The only way to truly know if you have colon cancer is through screenings and tests administered by your physician.
The good news is that colorectal cancer is often highly treatable. The key to survival is identifying and removing polyps early, before they turn into cancer. Those patients, whose cancer is discovered early, before it has spread, have a very high 5-year survival rate. With more awareness about colon cancer screenings, the death rate from this disease continues to decline.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6529992

Breast Cancer Treatment Options

Posted by Asbestos Poot Monday, March 19, 2012 0 comments
Over the past decade there has been advancements in many of the treatments 
available for Breast Cancer. Through constant research we have come a long way from the limited treatment options available in the past. The top treatment choices available today are surgery, radiation, hormonal treatment (anti-estrogen based) and chemotherapy. These 4 regimins are often used in conjunction with each other or adjuvantly. If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and are offered a choice of treatments from this wide array it can be very confusing. We all know we want what is best for us but sometimes with the many options available how can one be sure?

We will try to provide you with an overview of the treatments available and how they relate to the stage of cancer you might have. Use this information to educate yourself so when it comes time for you and your doctor to make a decision you will know the facts on hand.

There are 3 General Types of Treatment Categories Available Today:
Local Treatment (Regional Treatment) - this type of treatment is localized to the  breast and local lymphatics only or adjacent lymphatics to where the tumor was located.

Systemic Treatments - treat the whole body and are usually reserved for the prevention of spread (metastases) or directy to target spread that has occurred.

Alternative Therapy - these are considered holistic therapy and can be helpful but have never been proven to cure. 
We will pay close attention to Local and Systemic treatments as the choices available to cure breast cancer.

Surgery: surgery has been the number one treatment option available for breast cancer for well over the past century. Today unlike surgery in the past the surgeons can precisely target the area consisting of the tumor and surrounding tissue and remove only what is necessary and leaving a considerable amount of breast tissue in tact. These new methods have come a long way from the days of the radical mastecomy where patients where often left deformed for life. And even the newer techniques available for a mastecomy today are alot less drastic than they where say 30 years ago.

Today most surgery done for breast cancer is considered breast-conserving therapy or what is commonly called a lumpectomy. A lumpectomy is where only the tumor is removed and then once this has been done the patient will undergo a series of weeks of Radiation treatments to cleanse the surrounding tissue and prevent recurrence.The mastectomy is still available as a treatment options and this is basically where 

all of the breast tissue is removed down to and sometimes including the chestwall muscles. Radiation is also performed to cleanse the affected area after a mastectomy in alot of cases.

Radiation Therapy: radiation therapy consists of the use of high powered X or gamma rays that precisely target the area that is being treated. These X or Gamma rays are very effective in destroying the cancer cells that might recur where the tumor was removed. 

The use of radiation therapy for breast cancer is usually given after surgery has been performed and the purpose of the radiation is to reduce the change that the cancer will recur. Radiation reduces the risk of recurrence of breast cancer consdirably.

Hormone Therapy: some breast cancers are hormone-receptor positive. This means that the cancer will grow and spread if the hormone estrogen is present. If this is found to be the case with your type of breast cancer then the us of anti-estrogen hormone therapy will probably be used to lower the levels of estrogen in your body which in turn will prevent the cancer cells from beign stimulated and growing or spreading to other parts of the body Tamoxifen has been used for years as a anti-estrogen hormone therapy drug with breast cancer. In 2005 clinical trials from all of the world provided information saying that aromatase inhibitors worked alot better than Tamoxifen in post menopausal woman with hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. Now this was only in post-menopausal woman and Tamoxifen is still the drug of choice for pre- menopausal woman.

Chemotherapy: in some breast cancers the risk over spread (metastases) is greater than in others. Remember everybody is different and everybody's cancer will be different. If involvement of the lymph nodes is found,tumor size is great enough, or a higher grade is found your oncologist might suggest chemotherapy alone with other 
treatments including surgery and radiation

source : ezinearticles

Breast Cancer Myths

Posted by Asbestos Poot Friday, March 16, 2012 0 comments
Breast Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women, yet, did you know that men can also be affected by it? It is not solely a disease that women can get, although it is less likely, men are still at risk as well. This fact may startle some, and many individuals still hold onto various myths pertaining to such a disease. Let's work on dispelling some of those myths.

As mentioned above, the first myth pertaining to this disease is that it only affects women. This, of course, is not at all true. In fact, men also get it, although it occurs less frequently. Actually, about one percent of all breast cancer occurs in male patients. Further, it is even more dangerous for men, because men do not typically do self-examinations. Thus, when the cancer is finally detected, it is far more advanced.

Another myth that is associated with this disease is that if one has found a lump during an examination, it is cancer. Again, this is not always the case. In fact, both men and women can develop lumps in their breast tissue for a variety of reasons and only a doctor can determine whether or not a lump is cancerous. Other identified lumps in breast tissue are caused by the formation of cysts, natural fibrocystic changes, fibroadenomas, low grade infections, calcium deposits and minor injuries to breast tissue.

Yet another myth associated with this disease is that it is solely hereditary. Again, nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, although a history of breast cancer in one's family increases the risk that one might get breast cancer, the plain and simple truth is that anyone can develop this disease. Remember, even families that have a family history of breast cancer had to, at one time, experience the unwelcome surprise that one individual in the family got the disease in the first place.

The next myth associated with breast cancer is downright ridiculous. Would you believe, that in this day and age, some individuals still think that breast cancer is contagious? Unlike the common cold or flu, it is not a contagious disease. Thus, it cannot be directly passed from one individual to another through human contact.

Conversely, some individuals foolishly believe that breast size determines whether or not one gets cancer. Again, this is a misconception. Women with smaller breasts are at equal risk of getting the disease and this fact is confirmed in that men, individuals that possess almost no breast tissue, also get the disease. Thus, size has nothing to do with getting breast cancer.

Finally, another myth that is associated with this disease is that it only affects older people. This is not so. Although the chance of getting breast cancer increases with age, women as young as 18 have been diagnosed with the disease. Therefore, no matter what age you are, self examinations are important and should be done on a monthly basis, in conjunction with regular checkups with a physician.

source : ezinearticles

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