Archive for August, 2009

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Bone Cancer, What Are Some Of The Symptoms

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Mercy Maranga asked:


Bone cancer is when tumor develop in the bone. A bone tumor refers to both benign and malignant growths in the bone. Often, a bone tumor is used to refer to primary tumors of the bone. Bone tumors are classified as either primary or secondary tumors. Primary tumors originate in the bone while secondary tumors originate from other organs for example the breast, the lungs and the prostate. Metastatic tumors mostly involve the axial skeleton.

Primary tumors of the bone can be divided into benign and malignant tumors. Osteoma, osteochondroma, aneurismal bone cyst and fibrous dysplasia are examples of benign tumors. Malignant primary bone tumors include osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma and other sarcoma types.

Many patients with bone cancer do not really experience any symptoms except for pain or painless mass in the bone. Certain tumors can weaken the structure of the bone causing pathologic fractures. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be effective in treating certain bone tumors and may also be ineffective in treating other types of tumors.

The major concern when treating bone tumors is bone density and bone loss. Some bone tumors can be treated by surgery for example by amputating the limb. In limb amputation or in limb sparing, surgery is often combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Limb sparing surgery is when the limb is spared from amputation but the bone is removed. Removing a bone as a way of treating bone cancer can be done in two ways. Bone graft is when a bone from elsewhere in the body is taken to replace the infected one. Sometimes, an artificial bone is used to replace the infected bone.



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Bone Cancer: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
James S. Pendergraft asked:


Cancer having its origin in the bones is referred to as bone cancer in medical terms. Bone cancers are relatively uncommon when compared to metastatic (cancer occurring initiated in another organ and spreading to bone tissues) or secondary cancer.

Bone Cancer Causes

Underlying causes behind bone Cancer is still unclear. However, there are certain risk factors that have been identified. Most of them suggest that Estrogen, female hormone, plays an imperative role in development and progress of this cancer. It’s known that women, having menstrual period for the first time before 11 or at a very later stage in their life, are more prone for developing this disease. The reason being that they remain exposed to higher levels of estrogen for a longer period of time. Again, count of menstrual cycle prior to first pregnancy is also considered significant. Experts believe that women having their first child below the age of 20 might be affected in the near future. Breastfeeding offers additional protective effect.

Bone Cancer Symptoms

Bone Cancer Symptoms are many linked to the location of the bone, which has been affected by cancer in the body. Common symptom associated with bone cancer is tenderness, swelling or pain in the affected area. Lump formation might also accompany bone cancer in a patient. Although the detection of lump associated to the cancer is difficult in the early stages, it can be felt when the disease occurs in or around the joints. Still, you cannot consider any of these symptoms as prominent signs of bone cancer.

Bone Cancer Treatment

Treatment for cancer of bone, mainly metastatic cancer, has 2 goals:
-Managing neoplasm

-Managing symptoms produced by local lesion

Prognosis is mainly affected by patient’s age, primary tumor size, lymphatic & blood vessel invasion degree, symptoms duration and tumor location on arm, trunk or leg.

There are 2 methods for treating bone metastasis. Systemic Therapy is aimed for treating cancer cells spread throughout your body. It includes hormone therapy, immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Local therapy is aimed towards killing cancerous cells of a specific portion on the body. It includes surgery and radiation therapy.

Surgery:

It is often extensive and involves the removal of a wide margin of tissue surrounding the tumor. Sarcomas, which involve muscles, also require removing the entire affected group of muscles.

Radiation Therapy:

It is mainly used for preventing local recurrence of radiosensitive tumor and given either before or following the surgery.

Chemotherapy:

Several drugs have proven effective for treating bone & soft tissue sarcoma. However, required dosages for providing a great chance to cure might lead to significant side-effects. Effective agents include cyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine, ifosfamide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), dactinomycin (Actinomycin D), dacarbazine and investigational agent. In some cases, even combinations of all these drugs are used.

Hormone Therapy:

It’s either removal of organs producing hormones promoting growth of specific cancer types (testosterone and estrogen) or drug therapy for keeping hormones from promoting growth of cancer.

Even after completely removing bone or soft tissue sarcoma, significant risk is there that small tumors, left undetected, may spread to other regions in the body. Adjuvant Chemotherapy attempts for eliminating such tumor deposits.

Even, there are safer and effective methods for treating pain. Medications will allow people for being free of pain and continue the activities essential to them.

To Your Health!



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Bone Cancer: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Dick Aronson asked:


Bone cancer is rare and accounts for less than 1% of all new tumors. Not all bone tumors are fatal in fact benign (non cancerous) abnormalities are more common than malignant ones. Most bone cancers are secondary and have been spread from another site. Primary bone cancer which starts in the bone is quite rare constituting less than one per cent of all malignant tumors. They are more common in males, especially in children and adolescents. The most common type of primary bone cancer is osteosarcoma. This type of carcinoma usually affects young adults. It can affect any bone, but the arms, legs and pelvis are more commonly affected. Other less common forms of primary bone cancer include Ewing sarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma and chondrosarcoma.

Primary Bone Cancer

The causes of primary bone tumours are not known; however, adults who have Pagets disease (a bone disease) may have an increased risk.

Secondary bone cancer

Secondary bone cancer is the most common bone cancer. It is a carcinoma that starts somewhere else in the body and spreads (metastasises) to the bone. The most common cancers that spread to the bone originate in the breast, prostate, lung, kidney and thyroid.

Reticulum cell sarcoma of the bone

A cancerous tumor of the bone marrow presenting in more males than females.

Leukaemia

Cancer of the blood, which starts in the bone marrow

Symptoms of bore cancer

Symptoms tend to develop slowly and depend on the type, location, and size of the tumor. The signs and symptoms of bone cancer include: painful bones and joints, swelling of bones and joints, problems with movement, susceptibility to fractures. Less common symptoms include: unexplained weight loss, tiredness, fever and sweating.

Remember bone cancer is very rare so if you have any of these symptoms it is likely to be caused by another condition. Always see your doctor if you have for a diagnosis.

Causes

Although bone cancer does not have a clearly defined cause, researchers have identified several factors that increase the likelihood of developing these tumors. A small number of bone cancers are due to heredity.

Diagnosis

Bone cancer can present itself in any of the bones of the body, but it is diagnosed most often in the long bones of the arms and legs.

Diagnosing bone cancer involves a number of tests, including: X-rays and bone scans to show the exact location and size of the cancer (these are always done prior to biopsy), bone biopsy where a small sample of the cancer is removed from the bone and examined in the laboratory for the presence of malignant cells, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan similar to a CT scan but uses magnetism instead of x-rays to build three-dimensional pictures of your body.

Treatment

The treatment and prognosis of bone cancer depend upon multiple factors including the type and extent of the cancer, the patient’s age and overall health status. Tumors may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these.

Primary bone cancers:

The tumor, surrounding bone tissue and nearby lymph nodes are surgically removed. In severe cases, the affected limb may need to be amputated, but this is rare. Treatment may also include radiotherapy (x-rays to target and kill the cancer cells) and chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs). These may be given before surgery, to shrink the cancer and/or afterwards to destroy any remaining cancer cells.

Secondary bone cancer:

Treatment depends on the treatment for the original tumor, but usually includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy. Surgery may be needed to strengthen the affected bone.

Prognosis

Overall, the chance of recovery (prognosis) for bone cancers has improved significantly since the development of modern chemotherapy. The chance of recovery will depend on a variety of influences; if the cancer has spread, the type of bone cancer, the size of the tumour, location, the person’s general health and other individual factors.

If the tumor is very small and localized, the five-year survival rate is close to 90 percent. If the cancer has begun to spread, however, survival becomes more difficult. The five-year survival rate is only about 60 percent, and the prognosis is poor once the cancer spreads.

Bone cancer in cats and dogs

Bone carcinoma in dogs and cats can be a challenging disorder. Osteosarcoma is by far the most common bone tumour if dogs, usually striking the leg bones of larger breeds. Chemotherapy significantly prolongs the survival of animals with osteosarcoma when used in conjunction with surgery. For dogs Cisplatin alone or in combination with doxorubicin markedly improves survival time to a median of 8-10 months with the percentage of dogs alive after11 months at 50%.

Feline Osteosarcoma unlike its canine counterpart it has a much lower rate of metastasis and longer term survival can be expected with complete excision. Median survival for cats with osteosarcoma is approximately 2 years with many cats outreaching that.



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Lung Cancer, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Dick Aronson asked:


Lung cancer may be the most tragic cancer because in most cases, it might have been prevented, 87% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. Lung cancer has long been the most common cause of cancer death in men and since 1987 it has also become the most common cause of cancer death in women. Lung cancer is the second most commonly occurring form of cancer in most western countries and although the lung cancer incidence is less common in developing countries, the rapid increase in the popularity of smoking will see the number of lung cancer sufferers in those countries quickly catch up with the western world.

Lung cancers can arise in any part of the lung, and 90%-95% of cancers of the lung are thought to arise from the epithelial, or lining cells of the larger and smaller airways (bronchi and bronchioles); for this reason, lung cancers are sometimes called bronchogenic carcinomas or bronchogenic cancers.

The most common type of lung cancers are epidermoid carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma.

Most experts agree that lung cancer is attributable to inhalation of carcinogenic pollutants by a susceptible host. Who is most susceptible? Any smoker over the age of 40, especially if they began smoking before the age of 15, have smoked 20 or more for 20 years, or worked with or near asbestos. Two other factors also increase susceptibility: exposure to carcinogenic industrial and air pollutants (asbestos, uranium, arsenic, nickel, iron oxides, chromium, radio active dust, and coal dust.) and familial susceptibility.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Because early lung cancer usually produces no symptoms, the disease is often in an advanced stage when first diagnosed. Late stage signs are: with epidermoid and small cell carcinoma; smokers cough, hoarseness, wheezing, dyspnea, hemoptysis and chest pain. With adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma; fever, weakness, weight loss, anorexia and shoulder pain. In addition, hormone production which regulates various body functions may also be affected.

DIAGNOSIS

Firm diagnosis requires chest x rays, sputum cytology, CT scanning, bronchoscopy the examination of pleural fluid and biopsies. Other tests to detect metastasis include bone scans, bone marrow biopsy and CT scans of the brain and abdomen.

METASTASES

Lung cancer most often spreads to the liver, the adrenal glands, the bones, and the brain. Lung cancer that has metastasized to the bone causes bone pain, usually in the backbone (vertebrae), the thighbones, and the ribs. Lung cancer that spreads to the brain can cause difficulties with vision and weakness on one side of the body.

Lung cancer may grow into certain nerves in the neck, causing a droopy eyelid, small pupil, sunken eye, and reduced perspiration on one side of the face; together these symptoms are called Horner’s syndrome (see Autonomic Nervous System Disorders: Horner’s Syndrome). Lung cancer may grow directly into the esophagus, or it may grow near it and put pressure on it, leading to difficulty in swallowing. Lung cancer may also spread through the bloodstream to the liver, brain, adrenal glands, spinal cord, and bone.

TREATMENT

Treatment for lung cancer depends on the cancer’s specific cell type, how far it has spread, and the patient’s performance status. If investigations confirm lung cancer, CT scan and often positron emission tomography (PET) are used to determine whether the disease is localised and amenable to surgery or whether it has spread to the point where it cannot be cured surgically. Treatment is usually a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Surgery is usually the first option. Chemotherapy can be used as a first line treatment for lung cancer or as additional treatment after surgery. Radiation therapy can be directed at your lung cancer from outside your body (external beam radiation) or it can be put inside needles, seeds or catheters and placed inside your body near the cancer (brachytherapy). Radiation therapy can be used alone or along with other lung cancer treatments. Radiation therapy can also be used to lessen side effects of lung cancer.

Treatment may not be as effective for patients with bone or liver metastases from lung cancer, excessive weight loss, ongoing cigarette use, or pre-existing medical conditions such as heart disease or emphysema. At some point, if you and your oncologist or primary care physician agree that treatment no longer is advisable, hospice care can provide comfort.



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Bone Caner Treatments

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Aakash Shah asked:


The diagnosis and testing of the patient just won’t do the job for you and should be immediately followed by the proper treatment. Quicker the treatment, lesser the risk. This holds for all diseases and even more for cancer, because it’s a disease characterized by spreading of infected cells with progress in time. So treatment plays an important role in the case of bone cancers.

The bone cancer is of different types and has different causes and reasons for it to occur. The places where cancer occurs are across the whole extent of body. Considering these factors its clear that the treatment of bone cancer also is of various types according to the size and region affected.

The primary bone cancers affect the bone tissues directly and are to be taken care according to the region it occurs and the size of the affected region. But mostly the primary cancers are treated with a mix of chemotherapy and radiotherapy techniques. Radiotherapy is just used as an add-on, and is complementary to the other techniques used for treating bone cancers. The radio therapy involves treating the tissues with powerful appropriate radio rays to have the tissues destroyed or cancerous cells dissolved in drugs. The radiotherapy is thus used at the end of the other techniques, to make sure that the bones are no more capable of having the cancerous growth again in the future. The intensity modulated radiation therapy is presently employed in many treatment centers to cure the cancers, and it offers the advantage of having a computer controlled radiation according to the tumor size and cell infection level. The healthy tissues are thus not affected in anyway.

The chemotherapy is one that is mainly used in treating cancers, be it the primary cancer or the secondary type. The chemotherapy has been seeing advancement and modulations in techniques to suit more to the needs of the patient’s body. The fractionized chemotherapy is the one which is presently used. The chemotherapy treatment for the bone cancer actually involves administering of drugs to the patient that will help in the destruction of cancerous cells. The risk of being overdosed always is present with chemotherapy and this may lead to side effects like hair loss… etc. The chemotherapy however is the best tool to get the cancerous growth removed. The fractionized chemotherapy is nothing but administering of drugs in small amounts over considerably long duration to get the best effect of the drugs on the patient’s body.

The other therapies like nutrition therapy, naturopathic medicines are also available across the treatment centers but these are more like enhancers to cure offered by the chemo and the radio therapies.

Thus the basic statement is clear, the better we prevent ourselves the better we will be. The treatment to cure the bone cancer completely is available but it just involves the effort and time that we may avoid by just having ourselves aware of the risk factor and trying our bit to avoid them.



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Bone Cancer Information and Treatment

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Juliet Cohen asked:


Bone cancer is a sarcoma that arises in the bone. The most familiar type of bone cancer is osteosarcoma, which develops in original tissue in augmenting bones. Another type of bone cancer, chondrosarcoma, arises in cartilage. Bone cancer impress over 2,000 people in the United States each year. It is found most often in the bones of the arms and legs, but it can occur in any bone. Bone tumors occur most commonly in children and adolescents and are less common in older adults. Cancer including the bone in older adults is most usually the result of metastatic spread from another tumor.

There are various different types of bone cancer. The most common tumours of bone involve the osteosarcoma, the sarcome ewing , the chondrosarcoma, the malignant fibrous histiocytoma, the fibrosarcoma, and the chordoma. Osteosarcoma occur most frequently in children, young , ages 10 to 20. Chondrosarcoma is more familiar in adults over 50. Ewing’s sarcoma usually is found in people between 10 and 25 years of age; teenagers are most often affected. It most often influences the hipbones and the long bones in the thigh and upper arm. It also occurs in the ribs.

Chondrosarcoma is create mainly in adults. Chondrosarcoma tumor forms in cartilage, the rubbery tissue around joints.The most familiar symptom of bone cancer is pain and extra symptoms are swelling, or tenderness of a bone. Treatment of bone cancer rely on the type of bone cancer, as best as its location, size and stage. Surgery is often the first treatment for bone cancer. Cryosurgery is sometimes used in addition to surgery in some patients with bone cancer. The aim of surgery is usually to remove the entire tumor and a surrounding area of normal bone. Other treatments may involveamputation, chemotherapy and radiation.

Radiation therapy is utilized to prevent local recurrences of radiosensitive tumors. In patients with cancer that has spread to the bones, radiation therapy may also be used to alleviate symptoms, including pain. Chemotherapy is generally given after surgery to remove cancer cells that stay in the body after the main tumor is removed surgically. Sometimes chemotherapy is given before surgery to decrease size of the tumor before surgeons try to remove it. Biphosphonates are drugs that can be utilized to descrease bone pain and slow down bone injury in people who have cancer that has spread to their bones.



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Signs and Symptoms of Cancer

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Dr.Badruddin Khan asked:


A symptom is an indication of disease, illness, injury, or that something is not right in the body. Symptoms are felt or noticed by a person, but may not easily be noticed by anyone else. For example, chills, weakness, achiness, shortness of breath, and a cough may be symptoms of pneumonia. A sign is also an indication that something is not right in the body. But signs are defined as things that can be seen by a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional. Fever, rapid breathing rate, and abnormal breathing sounds heard through a stethoscope may be signs of pneumonia.

Having one symptom or sign may not give enough information to suggest a cause. For example, a rash in a child could be a symptom of a number of things including poison ivy, an infectious disease like measles, an infection limited to the skin, or a food allergy. But if the rash is seen along with other signs and symptoms like a high fever, chills, achiness, and a sore throat, then a doctor can get a better picture of the illness. In many cases, a patient’s signs and symptoms do not give enough clues by themselves for the doctor to figure out the cause of an illness. Then medical tests, such as x-rays, blood tests, or a biopsy may be needed.

Cancer is a group of diseases that may cause almost any sign or symptom. The signs and symptoms will depend on where the cancer is, the size of the cancer, and how much it affects the nearby organs or structures. If a cancer spreads (metastasizes), then symptoms may appear in different parts of the body. As a cancer grows, it begins to push on nearby organs, blood vessels, and nerves. This pressure creates some of the signs and symptoms of cancer. If the cancer is in a critical area, such as certain parts of the brain, even the smallest tumor can cause early symptoms.

But sometimes cancers start in places where it does not cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown quite large. Pancreas cancers, for example, do not usually grow large enough to be felt from the outside of the body. Some pancreatic cancers do not cause symptoms until they begin to grow around nearby nerves (this causes a backache). Others grow around the bile duct, which blocks the flow of bile and leads to a yellowing of the skin known as jaundice. By the time a pancreatic cancer causes these signs or symptoms, it has usually reached an advanced stage.

A cancer may also cause symptoms such as fever, fatigue, or weight loss. This may be because cancer cells use up much of the body’s energy supply or release substances that change the body’s metabolism. Or the cancer may cause the immune system to react in ways that produce these symptoms. Sometimes, cancer cells release substances into the bloodstream that cause symptoms not usually thought to result from cancers. For example, some cancers of the pancreas can release substances which cause blood clots to develop in veins of the legs. Some lung cancers make hormone-like substances that affect blood calcium levels, affecting nerves and muscles and causing weakness and dizziness.

Treatment is most successful when cancer is found as early as possible. Finding cancer early usually means it can be treated while it is still small and is less likely to have spread to other parts of the body. This often means a better chance for a cure, especially if initial treatment is to be surgery. A good example of the importance of finding cancer early is melanoma skin cancer. Skin cancer can be easy to remove if it has not grown deep into the skin, and the 5-year survival rate (percentage of people living at least 5 years after diagnosis) at this stage is nearly 100%. But once melanoma has spread to other parts of the body the survival rate drops dramatically.

Sometimes people ignore symptoms either because they do not know that the symptoms could mean something is wrong or because they are frightened by what they might mean and don’t want to seek medical help. General symptoms, such as fatigue, are more likely to have a cause other than cancer and can seem unimportant, especially if they have an obvious cause or only last a short time. In a similar way, a person may reason that a more specific symptom like a breast mass is probably a cyst that will go away by itself. But neither of these symptoms should be discounted or overlooked, especially if they have been present for a long time or are getting worse.

Most likely, any symptoms you may have will not be caused by cancer, but it’s important to have them checked out by your doctor, just in case. If cancer is not the cause, your doctor can help figure out what is and treat it, if needed. In some cases it is possible to detect some cancers before symptoms occur. The American Cancer Society and other health groups encourage the early detection of certain cancers before symptoms occur by recommending a cancer-related check-up and specific tests for people who do not have any symptoms. Keep in mind, however, that these recommended tests do not decrease the importance of reporting any symptoms to your doctor.

It is important to know what some of the general (non-specific) signs and symptoms of cancer are, but remember that having any of these does not mean that you have cancer. There are many other conditions that can cause these signs and symptoms, too. Most people with cancer will lose weight at some time with their disease. An unexplained (unintentional) weight loss of 10 pounds or more may be the first sign of cancer, particularly cancers of the pancreas, stomach, esophagus, or lung.

Fever is very common with cancer, but is more often seen in advanced disease. Almost all patients with cancer will have fever at some time, especially if the cancer or its treatment affects the immune system and makes it harder for the body to fight infection. Less often, fever may be an early sign of cancer, such as with leukemia or lymphoma. Fatigue may be an important symptom as cancer progresses. It may happen early, though, in cancers such as with leukemia, or if the cancer is causing an ongoing loss of blood, as in some colon or stomach cancers. Pain may be an early symptom with some cancers such as bone cancers or testicular cancer. But most often pain is a symptom of advanced disease. Along with cancers of the skin, some internal cancers can cause skin signs that can be seen. These changes include the skin looking darker (hyper pigmentation), yellow (jaundice), or red (erythema); itching; or excessive hair growth.Along with the above general symptoms, you should watch for the following common symptoms, which could be an indication of cancer. Again, there may be other causes for each of these, but it is important to bring them to your doctor’s attention as soon as possible so that they can be investigated.

Long-term constipation, diarrhea, or a change in the size of the stool may be a sign of colon cancer. Pain with urination, blood in the urine, or a change in bladder function (such as more frequent or less frequent urination) could be related to bladder or prostate cancer. Any changes in bladder or bowel function should be reported to your doctor. Skin cancers may bleed and look like sores that do not heal. A long-lasting sore in the mouth could be an oral cancer and should be dealt with right away, especially in patients who smoke, chew tobacco, or frequently drink alcohol. Sores on the penis or vagina may either be signs of infection or an early cancer, and should not be overlooked.

Unusual bleeding can happen in either early or advanced cancer. Blood in the sputum (phlegm) may be a sign of lung cancer. Blood in the stool (or a dark or black stool) could be a sign of colon or rectal cancer. Cancer of the cervix or the endometrium (lining of the uterus) can cause vaginal bleeding. Blood in the urine may be a sign of bladder or kidney cancer. A bloody discharge from the nipple may be a sign of breast cancer. Many cancers can be felt through the skin, mostly in the breast, testicle, lymph nodes (glands), and the soft tissues of the body. A lump or thickening may be an early or late sign of cancer. Any lump or thickening should be reported to your doctor, especially if you’ve just discovered it or noticed it has grown in size.

While they commonly have other causes, indigestion or swallowing problems may be a sign of cancer of the esophagus, stomach, or pharynx (throat). Any wart, mole, or freckle that changes in color, size, or shape, or loses its definite borders should be reported to your doctor without delay. The skin lesion may be a melanoma which, if diagnosed early, can be treated successfully. A cough that does not go away may be a sign of lung cancer. Hoarseness can be a sign of cancer of the larynx (voice box) or thyroid. While the signs and symptoms listed above are the more common ones seen with cancer, there are many others that are less common and are not listed here. If you notice any major changes in the way your body functions or the way you feel, especially if it lasts for a long time or gets worse, let your doctor know. If it has nothing to do with cancer, your doctor can investigate it and treat it, if needed. If it is cancer, you’ll give yourself the best chance to have it treated early, when treatment is most likely to be effective.

 



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Gaining The Edge On Cancer Control

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
MIKE SELVON asked:


Cancer control has taken America by storm. Thanks to better treatment options and earlier detection, cancer rates have declined significantly within the last couple of years, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Preventing any type of cancer can be accomplished through a healthy diet and healthy habits, but there is the chance none of these will help. Genetics could be the case for patients suffering from bone cancer because doctors are unsure as to what really causes this disease.

According to the ACS, there will only be a little over two thousand cases of bone cancer in the United States for 2007. Of that number, only a thousand will actually die from the disease. Bone cancer can begin in the bone, but most often the cancer started in another organ and spread.

In this instance, the cancer cells were malignant and filtered easily to other parts of the body. In these situations, patients end up receiving the same type of therapy as was used for the original cancer because the cells are the same.

Bone tumors get their name according to the region of the bone the cells are infecting. Bone tumors can be benign or malignant. If a bone tumor is benign, the patient will not see the cells spread to other parts of the body. There are several types of bone tumors, but the two most common forms are osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is the most common form of bone cancer found in patients between the ages of ten and thirty. There is the possibility that individuals between the ages of sixty and seventy will develop osteosarcoma, but rarely does one see this cancer in someone who is between the ages of thirty and sixty.

Males are also more susceptible to this common form of bone cancer than women. Chondrosarcoma affects the bone cartilage and usually occurs in patients after age twenty. Risks for developing this type of bone cancer continually rise as a person gets older and men and women are at equal risk of developing this disease.

Bone cancer protection is difficult to define mainly because there is no scientific method used to prevent it. There are risk factors associated with bone cancer such as having a previous disease or receiving treatment for a specific disease, like radiation therapy.

Age can also play a role in who develops bone cancer. Because it is hard to practice cancer control when it comes to the human bone structure, everyone is at risk for developing this disease at some point in their life.

The most common diagnosis for bone cancer is pain. As the tumor grows, the pain worsens for the individual. Detecting the pain is the first part of bone cancer control. The next important step is detecting it. This can be done through x-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, bone scans or PET scans.

Once the cancer is found and defined, a patient needs to work on a treatment. Normally treatments for bone cancer are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery. It is important when practicing any kind of cancer control that you discuss all your options with a doctor so you can find the right treatment for your body.

Cancer control may be easier when discussing breast and prostate cancer, mainly because the detection methods are better, more people are quitting smoking and treatment methods are more advanced. Researchers are constantly working on ways to prevent and treat bone cancer. As more discoveries are made, hopefully the numbers will decline too as they did for other cancers.



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An Article on Cancer

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Abigail J. Chandler asked:


AN ARTICLE ON CANCER

What is cancer?

Cancer is the general term used for diseases in which normal cells separate without any control thus involving other tissues. Cancer cells can also spread to various parts of the body through the blood and lymph system.

 

Wild cell growth turns into cancer when it is exposed to carcinogens (Cancer- causing substance) genetic defects, or viruses. A tumour is formed when cancer cells multiply large masses of tissue. In some cases tumours limit themselves to one spot in the body; some can be removed by surgery. These kinds of tumours may cause little harm and is termed benign. Hostile tumours are called malignant. The study of cancer is called oncology.

 

Causes of Cancer

People get lung cancer most of the time from smoking tobacco which is said to have carcinogenic substance mainly known as tobacco smoke. Some carcinogens include certain chemicals, the Sun’s ultraviolet light, and radiation. Cancer can be formed by several viruses by altering the DNA of a host cell and converting the cell’s normal genes into cancer – causing genes, or oncogenes. Genetic  factors – such as chromosomal abnormalities or the inheritance of faulty genes from a parent of fore parent. This could most likely cause these persons who inherit these genes can end up having cancer. People that are Down syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality are susceptible to leukaemia.

 

How is cancer formed?

When a normal cell transforms into a cancer cell the genetic material (deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA) of a cell is changed, or mutated. Tumours don’t form over night they formed over decades or a certain amount of years, because of this it is very susceptible to formed into a cancer cell as time goes along. Most cancer occurs after the age of fifty, yet some are detected earlier in life, it varies.

 

Different types of cancer

It has been accessed that there are over more than 200 different types of cancers. They are named after the tissue or the organ they begin to form. The term Leukemia refers to cancer of white blood cells (can be also called leukocytes). Melanomas are cancers that begin in melanocytes (skin pigmentation.

 

Names of Cancers

 

Lung Cancer

Bladder Cancer

Colon and Rectal Cancer

Breast Cancer

Endometrial Cancer

Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer

Non- Hodgkin Lymphoma Pancreatic Cancer

Skin Cancer

Non-melanoma thyroid Cancer

Prostrate Cancer

Leukemia

Bladder Cancer

Bone Cancer

Bile Duct Cancer

Brain Tumour

Appendix Cancer

Adrenocortical Carcinoma

Cervical cancer

Childhood cancer

Eye Cancer

Gall bladder Cancer

Kidney Cancer

Lip and oral Cancer

Liver Cancer

Mouth Cancer

Rectal Cancer

Salivary Cancer

Urethral Cancer

Vaginal Cancer

Vulvar Cancer

            

      

 

 

Treatments for cancer

Oncologists have been using Chemotherapy, or drug therapy to help cancer patience around the world. When cancer spreads to different parts of the body chemotherapy is used to help treat the cancer, before it gets worst. The immune system is weak when cancer spreads through the body. Therefore a treatment name immune enhancing drugs or antibodies are also used to help build back up the immune system and to destroy abnormal cells. There has been an anticancer drug that kills cancer cells while leaving the good ones alive. This drug was introduced in the spring of 2001. The drug, Gleevec has proven to work very strongly against chronic myelogenous leukaemia, leukaemia is one of the four main types of blood cancer.

 

How can u prevent cancer?

Cancer can be prevented by doing the following:

¬For all smokers the only way that you can avoid yourself from getting lung cancer is to stop smoking.

¬Try not to be in the sun for lengthy periods, too much exposure to the sun can cause cancer

¬Lessen your high- fat diets

¬Avoid alcohol as much as possible

¬Unsafe sex

¬Other Carcinogens could prevent more than 80% of all cancer cases.

¬Do yearly testing; this would detect it in the early stage if you are tested positive, early treatment can be taken.

 

The following are various tests than can be taken to see if you have cancer.

 

Skin Cancer: Skin examination this is done by the naked eye of the doctor. If any area may look suspicious then biopsy is done and under the microscope cancer cells are examined

 

 Prostate Cancer:

·       Digital Rectal Examination: Prostrate is examined by a doctor using his/her finger from the lower part from the rectum. When you reach fifty years it must be done at least once a year. If there was any sign before that you may have prostrate then do a test once every year even though you may be under forty

Breast Cancer:

·       Breast Self Examination: when you reach twenty years of age, this examination must be taken once every month.

·       Clinical Breast Examination: the breasts and regions under the arms should be examined also, between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Once every three years this examination should be carried out, and once every year after the age of forty.

·       Mammogram: Imaging of the breasts with X rays. It must be done once every year after 40 years of age.

An illustration of how a mammogram is done

Lung Cancer:

     Chest X-ray: It is imaging of organs and bones in chest with X-ray. Especially if you are a smoker you should do chest x –rays at least twice a year.

 Colorectal Cancer:

·       Fecal Occult Blood Test: Blood in stool which can be seen only under microscope is examined. It must be done once every year after 50 years of age.

Why cancer has and is becoming more prevalent

  Over the last generation there has been vast difference between the way we use to live and how we are now living. I can almost say that we live in a different world. Technology has been increased by a large percentage. Smelter plants, environmental chemical, polluted air, microwaves, computers, utensils and a lot of foods are said to be cancerous to us. Meats that are harmonized (e.g. chicken), plants, vegetables, fruits etc. these are all things that should make us healthy, but instead it can be deadly to us. Because of the amount of hormones that are being injected into them, plants and trees are being sprayed with insecticide, fertilizers as though these liquids are water. Then they are being sold to groceries, farmers etc, for us to buy and eat. 

Is there any cure for cancer?

   Since cancer has been detected, no cure solution has ever been introduced. Various anti–cancer tablets and chemotherapy was put in place in order to control cancer cells. Cancer, AIDS and Sugar diabetes are the three major sicknesses that have no cure. Although there are things out there to help cancer. It is proven that more and more people are getting cancer. Women have become prone to Breast cancer for the past 3o years. United States had even poured out $30 billion to help find a solution to cure cancer.

 

 

 



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What Is Bone Cancer And Can It Be Prevented

Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Jonathan Bell asked:


Cancer of the bone or bone cancer is a general term used when cancer cells are seen in the bone. Cancer that begins in the bone is called primary bone cancer. It is found most often in the arms and legs but it can occur in any bone in the body. Children and young people are more likely than adults to have bone cancers.

Primary bone cancers are called sarcomas. There are several different types of sarcoma and each type begins in a different kind of bone tissue. The most common sarcomas are osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma.

In young people, the most common type of bone cancer is osteosarcoma, usually occurring between the ages of ten and twenty-five. More often, males are affected than females. Osteosarcoma frequently starts in the ends of the bones; where new bone tissue forms as a young person grows, usually affecting the long bones of the arms and legs. Ewing’s sarcoma usually affects teenagers, and is mostly found in people between ten and twenty-five years old.

This cancer forms in the middle part (shaft) of large bones and most often affects the hip bones and long bones in the thigh and upper arm, but can also occur in the ribs. Chondrosarcoma is a type of tumor that forms in the cartilage (rubbery tissue around the joints) and are found mainly in adults. Other types of bone cancer include fibrosarcoma (malignant giant cell tumor) and chordoma. These are rare cancers and most often affects people over thirty.

The most common symptom of bone cancer is pain. However, symptoms may vary depending on the location and size of the cancer. Sometimes firm, slightly tender lump on the bone can be felt through the skin. Sometimes bone cancer interferes with normal movements and can also weaken or cause bones to break. Tumors that occur in or near joints may cause swelling and tenderness in the affected area. Other symptoms may include fatigue, fever, weight loss, and anemia. It is important to check with a doctor when you experience these symptoms, but these symptoms can also be caused by other less serious conditions.

Conventional treatment for some bone tumors may involve surgery, such as limb amputation. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be effective in some tumors (such as Ewing’s sarcoma) but less so in others (such as chondrosarcoma). After treatment has been done for bone cancer, it is very important that regular follow-up or check-ups are done with your doctor, to be sure that cancer has not come back and treat it promptly if it does. Check-ups may be physical exam, x-rays, scans, blood tests, and other laboratory tests.

People who have been diagnosed of bone cancer may have many physical, emotional, practical worries. They may worry that removal of a limb or other surgery will affect not only how they look but how other people would feel about them. Patients can be helped to overcome all these through special support groups for youngsters with cancer and their families. The American Cancer Society, for example, is a nonprofit organization that has many services for patients and their families.

All types of cancer are traumatic for everyone involved. The keyword is prevention. There are natural supplements that work. Unfortunately we don’t hear much about these supplements unless we investigate and search them out. Most of them fall under the conflicted interest of quack watchers because if it isn’t manufactured by the drug companies, it can’t possibly work. Sure there is some good being done in mainstream medicine, but when doors continually stay closed to alternative preventions and treatments, it’s more than mere coincidence.

Take care of your health and realize you can live cancer free.



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