Archive for Cancer

Bone Cancer

Bones help in movement, giving structure to our body and hence are known as the supporting framework of the body.

To understand more about what bone cancer is, knowing more about the structure of the bone would be ideal.

Bone consists of a fibrous tissue called matrix on which calcium salts are laid down, as its outer part. This fibrous tissue is part of the outer membrane of the bone- the Periosteum.

Inside hollow bones, there is a soft tissue known as bone marrow. The bone marrow is found in a space called the Medullary cavity. The bone marrow can be either a fatty tissue only or a mixture of fat cells as well as blood generating cells. These blood generating cells in the bone marrow are responsible for the production of Erythrocytes, Leukocytes and Platelets, which are important components of blood.

At the two ends of a bone, there is a tissue known as cartilage which is soft but firm, acting as a cushion between bones.
The bone tissue or the osseous tissue contains two different kinds of cells. They are, Osteoblast and Osteoclast which are functionally known as the ‘bone forming cells’ and cells that dissolve or breakdown bone tissues, respectively.

The term tissue was commonly mentioned in the description of the structure of the bone. A tissue can be defined simply, as a group of cells who have a common function. Therefore, it is obvious that there are many cells forming a bone and any one of these cells mentioned above can develop in to a cancer.

There are several types of bone cancer, such as ‘metastatic cancer’ (which is a cancer that was spread from somewhere else to the bone), cancers formed in the bone marrow that generates blood cells such as ‘multiple myeloma’, leukemia (though it is commonly thought of as a blood cancer) and lymphomas (though it is often found in lymph nodes, there are occasions when it starts in the bone marrow).

A bone tumor that starts in the bone is known as primary bone tumors and they are usually the main type of bone cancers. Though most primary bone tumors lead to bone cancer, not all are cancerous.

Some cancerous primary bone tumors are: Osteosarcoma- (also known as Osteogenic sarcoma) one of the most common primary bone cancers that start in the bone cells
Chondrosarcoma a bone cancer that starts in the cartilage cells (the second most common primary bone cancer).
Ewing tumor (which is a bone cancer starting off either in bones or in other tissues).
Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) mostly starting off in soft tissues than in bones
Fibrosarcoma (which is also similar to MFH)
Giant cell tumor of bone (which is less often found as a bone cancer – as it takes the non cancerous form)
Chordoma (a bone cancer that develops in the skull and bones of the spine).

All different types of bone cancers can be treated using, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery.

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Colon Cancer

Cancer is the growth of too many cells in a certain part of the body, and depending on which part of the body it occurs, it is given different names. The colon, better known as the large intestine, is a part of the body that assists in digestion. It is the last organ involved in the digestive tract. Colon cancer is a malignancy that occurs in the inner lining of the colon or the rectum, the end part of the colon. Colon cancer has become a common ailment in today’s world.

Under normal circumstances, all cells in a human being undergo the process of cell birth and death. Cancer occurs when this cell growth becomes uncontrolled and when the body’s natural defense mechanism, the immune system, cannot control it. These cells then form a mass, better known as tumors. Tumors can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumors do not spread or invade any other part of the body. Malignant tumors on the other hand keep dividing uncontrollable and can invade other parts of the body and destroy the healthy cells in the body.

Like all other cancers there are known risk factors that increase a person’s chance of being affected by colon cancer. Those over the age of 40 are said to be at a higher risk of developing colon cancer, and colon cancer has rarely been diagnosed in those under forty. Having a family history of colon cancer can also increase the chances of developing the disease. Other factors like having had benign tumors or polyps removed before, having a diet that is high in fat but low in fiber and having another illness that may increase chances of developing colon cancer are all considered to be risk of getting colon cancer.

There are many symptoms that are linked with the presence of colon cancer but having one or more of them does not necessarily mean colon cancer is present. Bleeding from the rectum does not always mean colon cancer but this bleeding should never be ignored. Changes in bowel habits, pain in the abdomen or rectum and a feeling that bowel movement cannot be completed are also symptoms. Again having these symptoms does not mean you have colon cancer but they should be taken seriously and a doctor has to be consulted to find out what may be causing these irregularities.

Advances in science and the field of medicine mean that cure rates for this type of cancer are quite high. Treatments for colon cancer include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, and usually a combination of these therapies is given to a patient to increase the efficiency of treatment.

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Cancer Research

The body is made up of different types of cells that in turn are grouped into different tissues and organs. There are more than 200 different types of body cells. Cancer is a disease caused by the changing of these normal cells in an uncontrolled way, thus forming a lump, which, if not treated medically, will spread into adjacent normal cells or apply pressure on other body structures. Cancer research is all about identifying what causes cancer and working out ways and means for the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of this deadly disease.

In the world today, there are many NGO’s and government sponsored institutions engaged in comprehensive cancer research work. Billions of dollars are spent annually on such work by these institutions. Normally such research work is spread from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the carrying out of clinical trials of different treatment applications so as to evaluate and compare the efficacy of such applications. However, since 1990’s, the focus of these research has been centered on immunotherapy and gene therapy.

Some non-governmental organizations such as American Institute for Cancer Research (AIR) and Cancer Research UK have been funding thousands of scientists, doctors, and other research students in cancer research. Their research work covers almost all aspects of cancer-related subjects through extensive programmes of world-class research in hospitals, universities and other institutes all over the world.

More and more promising researchers, students, and scientists are joining in cancer research work in order to fight this deadly disease that afflicts millions of patients globally. The aspiring students of cancer research may well remember that they could find very insightful and educative research articles and source material from the World Wide Web. At the same time, if they are looking for some research grant or fellowship to carry out cancer research work to save the lives of millions of cancer patients in the world, they have a ready reference guide in the Internet where a simple search will give them a plethora of websites of such organizations that are all too ready to grant such assistance.

Everybody concerned about cancer, be it patients or academics, are keen on finding the latest news on the types of new therapy and information on treatments. Internet has all these. However, it is always useful to corroborate this evidence of the latest from many sources before accepting a single research paper. Mind you, cancer research is an ongoing process.

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Cervical Cancer

The cervix is the part of the woman’s womb that opens into the vagina. It is the connection between where a fetus lies to the birth canal. Cervical cancer occurs in this region, generally in the area called the ‘transformation zone’. This transformation zone is the meddle region of a cervix.

Cervical cancer can be of two main types – the most common kind of cervical cancer is called squamous cell carcinoma. This kind of cancer is found when the squamous cells on the lining of the cervix closer to the vagina start producing too many cells that interfere with the actions of healthy cells. The other type, which is less common, is called adenocarcinoma, which is formed by the mucus forming gland cells in the inner part of the cervix. This type of cancer has for some reason become common in women born in the last twenty to thirty years.

There are many risk factors that may increase the chance of a person developing cervical cancer. But it has to be mentioned that having these risk factors does not mean you will definitely have cervical cancer. Being infected by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is said to increase your chances of getting cervical cancer greatly. HPV is a kind of virus that is most commonly related to warts that form in different regions of the body. It is spread through skin-to-skin contact and so can be spread by intercourse, oral or anal sex. The Pap test is a good way of knowing if you have been infected by this virus. But it is important to know that having this virus does not mean you have cervical cancer. Another risk factor is said to be smoking. Carcinogens in the tobacco have been found in the mucus formed by the cervix and so it is said women who smoke are at twice the rick of forming cervical cancers. Also things like a woman’s diet, her use of oral contraceptives, having an immunosuppressive disease and having a family history of cervical cancer is said to increase the chances of developing cervical cancer. Again, it is important to remember that having these risk factors does not necessarily mean you will have cervical cancer, but it is always better to do a few tests.

Treatment for cervical cancer can be done by surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy. It is most common to be treated using a combination of two of these methods, and it is always advisable to listen to what the doctor has to say about these treatments.

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Lung Cancer

Lungs are one of the biggest organs in a human body. Separated into two sections, the left and right lungs, they perform THE most important task for life – breaking down the air we breathe to give every human the needed oxygen for survival. So what is lung cancer? The cells in each lung, and the whole body for that matter, go through the usual life cycle of living and dying. It is when old cells die that new cells should be formed to take their place. In the case of lung cancer, cells keep producing new cells when the other cells are perfectly normal, which means there is an excess of cells in a particular area of the lung. These cells would not have room to be present, and they also have no function as they would not be able to specialize into the different types of cells because there is no reason for them to. Because of this there is an influx of cells in the lung, which cause a mass of cells, better known as a tumor, to be formed. Tumors can be of two kinds – benign or malignant. Benign tumors pose no harm to the person as they do not spread and do not interfere with the usual processes of the body. Malignant tumors in the lung are what we call lung cancer. These malignant tumors can cause harm to the person, and could cause more harm by spreading throughout the body through the lymph system to other parts of the body.

Tobacco use is said to be one of the biggest reasons for lung cancer. The worst part is that you do not have to be a smoker yourself to be affected. Second hand smoking can have the same effect. So if you live with someone who smokes a lot, work in an area where there are lots of smokers around, or are in any way in the presence of smoke from a cigarette, you are at the same risk that the person who is smoking is in. Tobacco is said to have carcinogens, which increase the chances of cells acting in the abnormal way to produce a tumor. There have been many lawsuits against tobacco companies as they are not said to have made the impact tobacco has in the causation of lung cancer clear for the public. It is now the law that every cigarette packet should have a warning in bold letters mentioning how ‘tobacco is harmful to health’.

Treatment for lung cancer can vary according to how far the tumor has spread, or how much of an area is affected. Doctor’s would prescribe one or a combination of the following few as treatment methods, depending on each individual. Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are some of the most common treatments for lung cancer. But always remember, the fastest cure to lung cancer, or any other disease, is a positive frame of mind!

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Breast Cancer

Directly you hear the word ‘breast cancer’,the picture of a female patient is conjured up. This disease is not confined to females. Though rare, males can also contract this type of cancer. Cancer that starts in tissues of the breast in males and females is commonly known as breast cancer which is the second most common cancer type in the world.

The first sign of breast cancer is a lump or a mass in the underarm or breast area that feels different to the touch. Other symptoms may be a change in size and shape of the breast, nipple inversion, skin irritation or dimpling, swelling of the full breast or part of it, and a discharge from the nipple. It pays to be cognizant of these signs for early detection of cancer.

At the first sign of breast cancer, the prudent thing to do is to consult a doctor. Your doctor will feel your breasts for lumps or any suspect growth. Benign lumps are different to the touch from the cancerous lumps. If the doctor suspects it to be cancer, he will clear any doubts he has with the aid of an xray mammography, an ultrasound scan, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan or a biopsy. If you are diagnosed with the disease, he may order more lab tests to help him further study it and plan his treatment.

There are several treatment methods as regards breast cancer. They are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy and biological therapy. Out of these, surgery and radiation are local therapies. The others are systemic therapies. The former removes or destroys the cancer in the breast whilst the latter enters the blood stream and controls or destroys the cancer.

There are many risk factors associated with breast cancer. The risk factor is high if you are a woman as the breast cells are always exposed to hormones such as progesterone and estrogen. The risks also increase with age. If someone in your family has had breast cancer, you are more at risk than those who do not have a significant family history.

Breast cancer is supposed to be the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the world. This goes to show the gravity of this disease. However, it’s comforting to know that billions of dollars are spent yearly on research work to find out the causes and treatments of it.

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Cancer Insurance

The concept of cancer insurance is rather simple. It is when benefits, regardless of other insurances a person can have, are directly paid to the person, so that the person involved can use these benefits provided by the cancer insurance to help pay off the extra costs in their cancer treatment. However, to get cancer insurance, in most cases, there need to be medical proof that a person is diagnosed with cancer.

Cancer has become the leading cause of the increasing death rates among people of all ages. The risk of being a cancer patient increases with age, according to the statistics of American Cancer Society.

Treating cancer requires a large amount of financial support, as the medicines required, various radio, chemo therapies and surgeries are rather costly. The overall costs of cancer in United States in the year 2007 was estimated by the national institute of health- to be approximately $219.2 billion (of which, $89 billion was for medical costs).

Therefore, though a person might have a normal health insurance that could cover the expenses of day to day medical requirements and in case of accidents; it is doubtful whether those insurances can cover the high costs of cancer treatments. Hence, it is important for a cancer patient to consider cancer insurance.

However, other than one specific cancer insurance, there are various other ways in which cancer patients can insurance themselves, such as private health insurances and government-funded insurance plans (such as in the US- Medicare and Medicaid).
Also, for cancer patients there are other financial resources available through government programs, disability benefits, aid from voluntary organizations, and living benefits from life insurance policies.

There are certain points to consider before purchasing cancer insurance. First you need to find out what coverage are available under your present health care policy – in the case that you are diagnosed with cancer. If you are on Medicaid or some other government funded insurance plan, reconsider whether you actually need cancer insurance.

If you are sure that cancer insurance is for you, then you should think about the best cancer policy that meets your needs at the most affordable price, but you should make sure to read and understand the cancer policies first (specially the limitations).

Find out what is covered and not covered by the cancer policy; find out whether there is any coverage for other diseases that might occur due to the cancer or its treatment and whether the benefits provided by your other health insurance policies will be affected.
Choosing a cancer insurance that is best suited, if done wisely, would be the best way of ensuring financial support for a cancer patient.

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Cancer

In today’s fast paced world, it has become common to hear about many different, and sometimes scary, types of diseases that show their heads every now and then. AIDS was unheard of until around 20 years ago, and now suddenly it is the biggest epidemic to hit humans in today’s world. Similarly, another disease to become widespread recently is cancer. Although also a daunting disease to be affected with, researchers have been trying to find cures for many different kinds of cancers and have had many a great breakthrough. But to this day there are no specific reasons that cane be named to cause cancer. There are many risk factors involved which are said to increase the chances of causing cancer, like use of tobacco, some pollutants found in the environment or types of radiation, but those exposed to any of these risk factors may still not develop cancers. It all seems to be left to chance.

What is cancer? All living cells in our body go through a cyclic process of being made (born), living and then finally dying. These dead cells are then removed from our body through various mechanisms that take place in our body. For some people however, for no known reasons as yet, the ‘reproduction’ of these new cells takes place at a faster rate. This means that while there are already healthy, living cells more and more keep adding on. These cells take on irregular shapes and form a mass which have no function. This mass of cells is called a tumor, which if malignant (i.e. harmful) is then termed cancer. Depending on which area of the body these tumors form, the cancer is named differently. For example, if found in lungs it is called lung cancer, and if in the bone, then bone cancer. Cancer can remain in the same area it formed, but there are malignant tumors that can spread to other parts of the body. This happens when the cancer cells break free from the mass and move to other parts of the body.

There are various types of treatments used to cure cancer. Surgery is used on some tumors to remove them from the body, but when a mass cannot be separated by surgery, treatments like radiation therapy or chemotherapy are used to kill the cancer cells.

Having cancer can be a terrifying experience, but it does not mean the end of the road for anyone. Getting proper treatment, eating the right kinds of food, making small changes in your lifestyle, and most importantly, ALWAYS being positive are the best ways to make sure you enjoy life for many more years to come!

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Bladder Cancer

The bladder is an important part of a human’s body as it is one of the main organs which deals with detoxifying the body. As the organ that stores urine, and thus helps remove excess nutrients and waste products from the body, the bladder plays an integral role in many bodily functions.

Bladder cancer can be of three main types, depending on which area of the bladder it forms in, and what type of cells are affected. There are no exact causes of bladder cancer but there have been many risk factors that have been identified to increase the chances of bladder cancer which include use of tobacco, infections or irritations in the bladder, age, gender and possibly family history. Use of tobacco is said to increase the chances of bladder cancer by two or three times. Although a person may have one or more of the above mentioned risk factors, they are not definite causes for developing the disease. Symptoms of bladder cancer include needing to urinate often, pain during urinating, and blood mixed with urine. Again, having these symptoms does not mean that bladder cancer is present, as infections, bladder stones and benign tumours can cause similar symptoms, can but it is advisable to check with a doctor if symptoms like such appear. Doctor’s use physical tests, urine tests and, in some cases, biopsies, to diagnose the cause of symptoms that appear. In most cases biopsies can be the best way to say if a patient has bladder cancer or not.

Bladder cancer occurs in four stages, separated as such due to the extent of penetration of cancer cells in the bladder. Stage 0 is when the cancer cells appear only in the inner lining of the bladder, whereas Stage IV is when the cancer cells have spread through the body and reached other organs, like the lungs or pelvis. The three stages in between refer to how far the cancer cells have spread in the bladder or to the rest of the body, in their various levels.

There are a range of treatments for bladder cancer which patients can ask their doctor’s about, from chemo or radiation therapy to surgery. A combination of a number of therapies can also be used. It is always better to ask for the doctor’s advice on which kind of treatment would work best for the patient. As an after-effect of bladder cancer treatment, patients may lose their appetites or suffer from nausea but it is important for patients to be able to take in proper nutrition into their body so that they have enough calories and protein. Talking to a doctor or dietician will give the patient more information on the diet that the patient needs to follow, so that recovery can be made faster and easier.

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Ovarian Cancer

The female reproductive system is composed of many different parts. One of the most important of these is the ovary; the organ that releases the egg which is later either fertilized or degenerates. The ovary therefore plays an important role in hormone secretion in females, and hence in a lot of the processes that take place in a woman’s body. As such an active part of the female body, there are cells in the ovary that are constantly growing and maturing. Ovarian cancer is when there is a tumor in the ovary.

Finding out that you have ovarian cancer can be a traumatic experience. There are no specific reasons for ovarian cancer to develop and so there are no special methods to take that can prevent the disease from forming. Because of this reason it is important to stay alert about any warning signs of irregularities in your body’s functions. As a main organ that deals with menstruation, it would be a good initiative to be vigilant about any differences in the monthly cycle. Going to a doctor at the earliest signs of something happening out of the ordinary would be a good idea to find out what the causes for these changes are. Sometimes the doctor may recommend surgically removing the affected ovary as that would stop the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. Ovarian cancer need not be the end of the line for women these days. There are wide arrays of drugs prescribed by doctors which provide the needed hormones for the body to function as it always did. And since there are two ovaries present in the female body, it does not mean that removing one ovary because of ovarian cancer would mean there is no chance for childbirth later in life. Science has progressed greatly over the past years and so ovarian cancer can be successfully treated and cured, as long as it is diagnosed early enough.

Dealing with ovarian cancer, or any other form of cancer, is not an easy experience. It takes a lot of courage to go through an experience like that, and so it is important to always surround yourself with positive people. Make sure the treatment that you take is something you are comfortable with and something recommended by your doctor. Last but not least never give up hope in yourself. You are stronger than you know!

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