Information and Resources for Cancer

Cancers of the skin are the most common types of cancer that afflict people. A shocking one in five people in the United States will have a skin cancer diagnosis, and for Caucasians, the chances are a sobering one in three people will face skin cancer.

Fortunately, most of these brushes with cancer are limited to the early removal of cancerous cells from skin tissue before the disease has a chance to spread. Mortality is low for people who develop skin cancer, but sometimes the skin and tissue removal can cause disfigurement. In such a situation, a skin cancer patient will be referred to a plastic surgeon for reconstruction. Sometimes, a dermatologist will consult with a plastic surgeon from the beginning as a skin cancer removal is planned in order create an outcome that is healthy and aesthetically acceptable.

The cause of the overwhelming amount of skin cancers is exposure to the sun. Protecting yourself and your children from sunburns is crucial to maintaining the health of your skin. Preventing children from getting sunburns is particularly important because a bad blistering burn in childhood can lead to skin cancer years later. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, your chance of developing a cancer of the skin doubles if you have had five or more sunburns.

Three primary categories of skin cancer exist. Each one affects a different type of cell within the tissues of the skin.

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal Cell Carcinoma is by far the most common type of skin cancer. This type of skin cancer occurs so frequently, that many cancer registries forgo collecting the case data because it would be overwhelming and it is not a particularly deadly form of skin disease. Still, the medical community estimates that about one million new cases of basal cell carcinoma are diagnosed in the United States every year.

This disease is characterized by cancer cells and tumor growth within the basal cells in the deepest layer of the epidermis. If detected and removed early, basal cell carcinoma poses little threat to patients, who generally recover easily although they will continue to have their skin monitored for new problems.

Severe disease and even death can result if basal cell carcinoma is undetected or untreated. Although it does not tend to spread to the rest of the body, it is possible if left uncontrolled.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The second most common type of skin cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, which is detected in roughly 250,000 people in the United States every year. When this cancer develops, it is the squamous cells within the upper layer of the skin that is afflicted with cancer. Like basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma has a high treatment success rate when diagnosed early.

Melanoma

Melanoma is the bad word of skin cancer. It is the most malignant form with the ability to spread aggressively through the body and even cause death. Melanoma strikes the melanocyte cells that produce the pigment melanin in the skin. Fortunately, it is not as widespread as the other two types of skin cancer. Of the estimated 60,000 cases of melanoma in the United States every year, many of them are treated successfully by removal of the diseased cells. However, early detection is critical with melanoma before it has a chance to reach the lymphatic system and spread throughout the body.

Along with damage from the sun, using a tanning bed has also been linked to skin cancer, even melanoma.

Skin Reconstruction After Cancer

Tremendous progress has been made in the plastic surgeon community to develop surgical techniques to help people who have been disfigured by diseases like skin cancer. When removal entails more than a small patch of skin or the skin cancer is on the face or other visible area, a plastic surgeon will repair the skin to produce a functional and more pleasing appearance.

A Los Angeles cosmetic surgeon can reduce the magnitude of scars from the cancer removal or even rebuild the skin with skin tissue taken from other areas of the body. When skin cancer is present in a sensitive, visible, or cosmetically important location, it is advisable to include a plastic surgeon in your treatment so it can be planned to produce the most cosmetically appropriate and functional results.

Ah… the prostate exam; could there be a more awkward reason to have two men in the same small tiny room? For many men the idea of having a same sex peer ask you to pull your pants down and bend over while he moves his well-lubricated finger inside your exit, is as close to hell as it gets. But with the rise of prostate cancer in the boomer generation, it’s time for men to suck it up and bend over.

The miseries of a growing prostate gland plague many male baby boomers long before they perceive themselves as aging. Symptoms can appear when a man is in his late 40s, according to urological surgeon Robert Weiss, and include “urinary frequency, often causing a man to get up several times each night, and urgency-difficulty in making it to a bathroom.”

Cancer occurs on the outside of the prostate, which is why physicians check for nodules using a rectal exam. This should be paired with an annual PSA screening (blood test) starting at age 45 for African American men and 50 for others. The primary risk factor for prostate malignancy-which affects one in six men in the U.S. in their lifetimes-is aging. Under age 40, the incidence is one in 10,000, but it jumps dramatically to one in 38 for 40- to 59-year-olds, and one in 14 for those in their 60s.

With the men of the “baby boomers” generation in the United States approaching target age for prostate cancer screening, the incidence of prostate cancer is expected to increase to 300,000 a year in the next decade. While treatable in earlier stages of the disease, prostate cancer can be much harder to treat in more advanced stages and can be fatal. In fact, prostate cancer is the number two cancer killer in men. This year, an estimated 30,000 will die from the disease. Treatment options for prostate cancer are dictated largely by the stage of the disease, the patient’s age and health, whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has recurred, and other factors. Of particular concern is the plight of advanced prostate cancer patients.

Every year, 70,000 men require additional treatment due to a recurrence of prostate cancer. If the cancerous cells are not detected during initial treatment or if tumors go undetected, the cancer may spread beyond the prostate. Over time, many patients no longer respond to hormone therapy, meaning they have hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Advanced prostate cancer patients face the development of painful bone metastases at which point they generally have two to three years to live. Quality of life during this stage of treatment can be greatly diminished.

Prostate cancer can be treated easily when caught in it’s early stages; you just have to be man enough to be a little uncomfortable for a 10-15 minute rectal exam that just could save your life.

Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy in women worldwide, and it remains a leading cause of cancer-related death for women in developing countries. Cervical cancers usually affects women of middle age or older, but it may be diagnosed in any reproductive-aged woman. Cervical tumors are classified as either preinvasive where the lower third of the epithelium contains abnormal cells, or invasive in which the full thickness of the epithelium contains abnormally proliferating cells.

Cervical cancer develops in the lining of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus (womb) that enters the vagina. Cervical cancers don’t always spread, but those that do most often spread to the lungs, the liver, the bladder, the vagina, and/or the rectum.

Cause

Cervical cancer almost always develops from cell changes caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is spread through genital skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity. Cervical cancer also seems more prevalent in women who smoke. Sexual activity that increases the risk for infection with HPV and HIV and for cervical cancer includes the following: Having multiple sexual partners or having sex with a promiscuous partner, a history of sexually transmitted disease, sexual intercourse at a young age.

Signs and Symptoms

The early stages of cervical cancer may be completely asymptomatic. Symptoms of advanced cervical cancer may include: loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, pelvic pain, back pain, leg pain, a single swollen leg, heavy bleeding from the vagina, leaking of urine or feces from the vagina and bone fractures.

Diagnosis

The Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test has been used to screen for pre-cancerous lesions in asymptomatic women for the past 50 years. While the pap smear is an effective screening test, confirmation of the diagnosis of cervical cancer or pre-cancer requires a biopsy of the cervix. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, the precursor to cervical cancer, is often diagnosed on examination of cervical biopsies by a pathologist.

Other Risk Factors

Women with diets low in fruits and vegetables may be at increased risk for cervical cancer. Research suggests that the risk of cervical cancer goes up the longer a woman takes oral contraceptives, but the risk goes back down again after the OCs are stopped. Women who have had many full term pregnancies have an increased risk of developing cervical cancer.

Prevention

Cervical cancer is the easiest female cancer to prevent, because there is a vaccine and a screening test available. The vaccine known as Gardasil offers protection from the most dangerous types of HPV and recently published results indicate that new cervical tumors may eventually be reduced by as much as 97% in those areas where vaccination is introduced and maintained.

Treatment

Treatment of cervical cancer depends on the stage of the cancer, the size and shape of the tumor, the age and general health of the woman, and her desire to have children in the future. Appropriate treatment also depends on accurate clinical staging. Preinvasive stages may be treated total excisional biopsy, cryosurgery or laser destruction. Invasive squamous cell carcinoma therapy may include hysterectomy and radiation therapy.

Internal radiation therapy uses a device filled with radioactive material, which is placed inside the woman’s vagina next to the cervical cancer. Some of the drugs used for chemotherapy for cervical cancer include 5-FU, Cisplatin, Carboplatin, Ifosfamide, Paclitaxel, and Cyclophosphamide.

Thirty-five percent of patients with invasive cervical cancer have persistent or recurrent disease after treatment. Recurrent cervical cancer detected at its earliest stages might be successfully treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of the three.

Survival

The chance of being alive in 5 years for cancer that has spread to the inside of the cervix walls but not outside the cervix area is 92%. However, the 5-year survival rate falls steadily as the cancer spreads into other areas. Recently, the combined use of cisplatin and topotecan was shown to significantly improve survival compared with single-agent cisplatin. If you combine all the stages together, the five-year survival rate is about 73%.

As the cancer metastasizes to other parts of the body, prognosis drops dramatically because treatment of local lesions is generally more effective than whole body treatments such as chemotherapy.

Over recent years, we have seen many multi-million dollar compensation payouts to victims of mesothelioma, the asbestos exposure related cancer. This is a relatively new disease, both in terms of medical and legal awareness, and sufferers of mesothelioma are finding that they are entitled to a hefty compensation in many cases. In order to help these victims get their dues, many lawyers and law firms have been trained and set up to deal with mesothelioma claims to allow mesothelioma sufferers get the compensation to which they are entitled.

Why are mesothelioma victims entitled to compensation? Well, most cancers not the fault of an outsider. Heavy smokers may get cancer through smoking, which is their own choice. Other types of cancer, such as breast, cervical and prostate are not anybody’s fault, although vigilance and regular check ups can help to identify these caners early on and therefore treat them effectively. However, mesothelioma is a totally different type of cancer. This is a cancer that could have been prevented, and it is the fault of outsiders – namely the irresponsible firms that made no efforts to protect their workers against the hazards of working with asbestos. You see, mesothelioma is the result of regular exposure the asbestos dust and fibres, which are ingested into the system and corrupt the cells of the protective lining that surround major organs – the mesothelium. The cancer lies dormant for many decades, and victims do not realize until thirty or forty years later that they have the disease. By the time tests have been done and a diagnosis has been made, it is often too late to do anything constructive about it, and the patient is left with just a short time to live – typically 4-24 months.

These mesothelioma lawyers are here to help victims of mesothelioma to get cold, hard cash from the companies responsible for their doomed fate. This compensation will help to cover medical expenses and pain and suffering. But, perhaps most importantly, it helps to provide financial stability and security for the victim’s loved ones after he or she has passed away.

The payouts for mesothelioma have run from hundreds of thousands of dollars, to multi-million dollars. But the mesothelioma sufferer must ensure that the chances of success are optimised by seeking legal advice and assistance as soon as the diagnosis has been confirmed. Most states only provide a certain time within which you can file a mesothelioma lawsuit, so it is vital that you do this immediately. Your lawyer will also need the extra time to put your case together and carry out any necessary research. Time is of the essence where mesothelioma lawsuits are concerned, and just a few days could make the difference between financial security for your family and no compensation at all.

The availability of high quality resources and most experienced cancer surgeons in India makes chronic leukaemia surgery now possible in India at low risk and at very less cost. The cancer research centers in India are inventing various new surgical techniques for the treatment of cancer. New techniques invented by the cancer research center of India are according to the requirement of the cancer patients so that the cancer operation becomes risk free. The medical treatment centers for cancer surgery in India provide treatment to abroad patients at very less price as compared to the cost of abroad cancer surgery hospitals of abroad. Different cancer treatment centers for cancer surgery in India are at Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Cancer surgeries in India have produced very good success rates of cure of cancer, with cancer surgery in India, the cancer can be cured completely at very low risk as the treatment is provided to patients from most experienced cancer surgeons of India. The advancement of surgical techniques reduces the recovery time after the surgery; patients can start doing their daily routine work within fifteen days after cancer surgery in India. Because of low cost of cancer treatment and availability of experienced surgeons in India, Indian cancer treatment centers becoming more popular in abroad countries, many abroad patients gets attracted to India for low cost cancer treatment in India.

Leukemia literally means ‘many white cells in the blood’. The white cells are part of the body’s immune system, and there are several sub-groups of white cells that have different sorts of roles in recognizing and dealing with ‘invaders’ such as bacteria and viruses as well as other types of foreign protein. All of the blood cells originate in the bone marrow and leukaemia which is also known as blood cancer is a disease where the bone marrow produces large numbers of abnormal white cells. This means that the normal marrow is pushed into smaller and smaller areas. This results in fewer normal cells being produced and gives rise to some of the symptoms. It is possible to have chronic leukemia for months or even years without knowing it. The symptoms are varied, but many people notice different symptoms like tiredness, bruising easily (often without having had any blow or fall), repeated infections, enlarged lymph glands, weight loss, night sweats, fever. These are most common symptoms appear when patient suffers from chronic leukemia. The surgical procedure of chronic leukemia surgery is very complex and it requires an experienced cancer surgeon for the treatment. There are many types of leukemia, each of which is classified according to the exact cell type affected by the disease. Chronic leukemia is a slowly progressive form of leukemia and tends to involve more mature cell types. It may not need treatment immediately, but if treatment is required it is usually chemotherapy, given in the form of tablets. The cause of leukemia is not known. Older people with early stage CLL have a normal life expectancy. Treatment in the form of chemotherapy will be required for those who are unwell or who have many enlarged lymph glands, or who become significantly anaemic. Chemotherapy is usually given in the form of tablets. Other chemotherapy drugs such as fludarabine may be used in late stage disease.

Medical tourism provides very good assistance to abroad patients in provision of best cancer treatment to patients. The ultimate aim of medical tourism in India is the provision of good treatment facilities to abroad patients for which they are coming India. Medical treatment centers for chronic leukemia surgery in India are at Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Nagpur and Bangalore. Medical tourism in India provides different low cost packages to abroad patients for their treatment in India. Low cost of cancer treatment and availability of most experienced cancer surgeons in India are the other reasons because of which Indian cancer surgery hospitals are becoming center of attraction now day’s. Many abroad patients are getting attracted to India for low cost chronic leukemia surgery cancer treatment in India.

As with any disease, there are several colon cancer warning signs, and, again, as with any disease, you should never ignore them.

My father-in-law is a pretty cool cat!

He’s 62 years old and has been jogging 20 miles or so a week for years…now I am not a runner, so I have much respect. Last December he decided it was just too cold, in the morning, to jog, so he decided to take a break.

In March, when it started warming up, he went back to his morning runs. But, it just didn’t feel the same. At first, he could go about 5 miles and then he was just exhausted. He kept trying, but was feeling increasingly short of breath and just didn’t have the same energy as before.

His beloved dog, Emma, who used to get a run for her money was now running circles around him.

He wasn’t overly concerned at first…

Colon Cancer Warning Signs

Maybe he was just getting old? Maybe taking that time off really knocked out his endurance, even though he had done it in the past and bounced back much quicker…?

Another 4 months of feeling winded and drained and he said “uncle” and called his doctor.

It turns out, he HAD stage 2 colon cancer and was severely anemic from internal bleeding.

The moral of the story?

If he was sedentary to begin with, he probably never would’ve even noticed that he was short of breath and lacking in energy. If he didn’t exercise, he wouldn’t have been in tune to his body enough to know that something was amiss.
Colon Cancer Warning Signs

Not everyone exercises to look like a super model or have 6-pack abs. The real benefit of staying physically active is to feel good and know when you don’t!

AND I am very happy to say that he cheated this disease and is having a full recovery!

So, please, do the same: Watch out for colon cancer warning signs, or any other symptoms you have that don’t feel quite right, because your body may be trying to tell you something.

In 2007, there were more than 185,000 women and almost 2,000 men who were diagnosed with breast cancer. Worse, there were almost 50,000 women and 350+ men who died because of the disease. Indeed, breast cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world today. Breast cancer survivors and patients are also the people that need the most support, whether you’re a loved one or even a stranger.

How to Show You Care

You don’t need to spend hundreds or even thousands just to show that you’re doing something to show you care and that you do support their cause. Even the simplest ways can already make a change. You can start with the following:

1. Celebrate Breast Cancer Month. October is set to be Breast Cancer Month, where the entire month is peppered with different activities that aim to provide awareness about the disease. You can opt to join the celebration of renewed life by being present during festivities, talks or symposiums. You can enjoy such things as a “most eligible bachelor date auction” where the funds that are raised from the even are used to further cure research.

2. Walk 60 miles. For 3 days, everyone is invited to walk 20 miles every day, in different cities all over the United States. The purpose of the walk is to educate people and the media about breast cancer, as well as to raise funds for various objectives of the organization. The money that will be raised can be used for outreach programs in such places where breast cancer is rampant. Many participants have found it easy to raise up wards of $2,000. What’s more, you can keep yourself healthy, as walking is known to be one of the best exercises.

5. Light a virtual candle. Is someone you know currently suffering from the disease? Would you like to send your well-wishes and give her strength and peace? You can light and send a virtual candle over the internet at places like “The Center for Healing Arts – Light A Candle” to show the person support. It will definitely cost you nothing, except a few moments of your time and you can send it directly to her inbox, so you can brighten the person’s day. A cheery little message or thought of solidarity with the candle will be greatly appreciated. It will not remove the illness, but it will definitely give your friend more courage to face each day, as she battles it out with breast cancer.

3. Volunteer. Surely, there are cancer organizations within your area, and you can apply as a volunteer. You will be the one to hand out flyers and other informative materials during campaign drives. You will be trained to conduct workshops and seminars for breast cancer awareness, or your help may be needed when there are outreach programs and services that need to be conducted. If you have sufficient educational background, you can even help in the research of the best cures and treatment for it. Being a volunteer doesn’t have to take all your time. You can spend as little as 1 to 4 hours for the cause.

4. Wear a pink ribbon. Pink is the color that is associated with cancer, and wearing the color means that you are in total support for the programs that are being upheld by breast cancer organizations. Pink could also mean shirts, watches, wristbands, to go with your ribbon, which you can wear proudly near your heart, especially during the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Cancer inflicts thousands every year. The medical and research communities have made great strides in defining how cancer starts. They have been successful in developing treatments that address the symptoms, slow down the progression, and in some cases reverse the damage that cancer causes, giving hope for a permanent cure. Many try to live a lifestyle that gives us a fighting chance to avoid this disease altogether. One weapon that we can use as a preventative measure is meditation.

Our bodies are equipped with a natural defense system to fight off invading cells that cause damage to our overall health. This is the job of our immune system. Emerging studies are showing that meditation can improve your immune system. When functioning properly, our immune system allows the cells in our body to perform at optimal levels and keep the “bugs” that we encounter every day from making us sick. In fact, when thousands get their flu shots every year, they are actually being injected with a flu virus so that the immune system learns how to handle it. It’s like boot camp for the cells!

It makes sense to do everything you can to ensure that your immune system has the tools to do its job. One way is to be sure that you are eating a variety of foods that provide all the nutrients needed to keep healthy. This variety includes colorful fruits and vegetables, fiber, a good dose of selenium and other minerals, and plenty of water. Medical research supports healthy eating habits. Meditation is another tool that you can add to your healthy living to control stress.

Stress tends to weaken the immune system. So, it also makes sense to do what you can to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Many believe that they have little control over stress. While there may be some situations that come up when you don’t expect them, and these unexpected events cause you to feel stressed you still have the opportunity to face these challenges in a manner that can keep your immune system intact. This is through daily meditation.

Imagine if you are the parent of a teenager, having an unpleasant confrontation with your child over their homework, sex, drugs, driving, rules, boundaries, or any number of other issues that come with parenting. This confrontation can cause your heart to beat faster and your blood pressure to rise. Add to this, a heavy work schedule that is filled with deadlines and personality differences with your co-workers or boss…more stress. Then to top it all off, get on the freeway and drive through traffic to get to your next destination or appointment on time! No wonder most people feel that they have no control over the amount of stress in their lives.

But you do. You may not be able to control the situation, but you can control the way that you respond to it. Through a consistent practice of meditation, you can train your brain to respond to normal, everyday, crazy events with a relaxed response rather than one that will throw your body into a state of mind that sets your survival instincts in motion. Simply using one of the many forms of meditation, such as Breathing Meditation or the popular Transcendental Meditation, can change your response and quite possibly change your outcome. When you are constantly operating in “survival mode”, the result is overall fatigue; fatigue leads to stress; stress leads to a breakdown in your immune system. Remember, it is your immune system that is vital to giving your body a fighting chance to avoid cancer.

Just because summer is almost over doesn’t mean we can stop protecting ourselves from the suns rays. Protecting your skin from environmental damage is important. Without protection from wind, sun and pollutants our skin will dry out, and cause premature aging of the skin (wrinkles!), or worse, skin cancer.

The warm sunny days of summer are over but the cool winds of autumn will lead to the brisk chill of winter. Although we cannot get outside to soak up the sun we do ski and of course ‘go south’. This puts us in the way of the harmful rays of the sun.

Whether you are planning a trip south or getting the skis fitted up consider the sun and protect yourself.

The harmful UVA and UVB rays can cause skin cancer. This includes UVA rays that can pass through window glass! UVB rays are somewhat longer and cannot pass through window glass.

To help protect yourself from skin damage and prevent freckling and uneven skintone do the following 3 things:

1. Avoid excess sun exposure. This is particularly important during the hottest part of the day between 11 am and 3 pm when the sun is at its maximum strength.
2. Cover yourself appropriately. This includes a wide brimmed hat, cool light colored clothing to prevent skin exposure. Sunglasses with UV protection and of course stay in the shade. When your skiing remember you have to consider the sun is reflecting off of the snow. And although it may appear you are not getting sun you are! Remember your shades!
3. Use a sun block with SPF 15 or higher. Even on your lips to prevent burning, and chapped lips.

Keep these simple yet important facts as reminders to protect yourself with a proper sunscreen will help prevent the onset of skin cancer for you and your loved ones.

Prostate cancer is one of those cancers which grow very slowly and are not easy to diagnose. It is a critical illness for men over fifty years of age, so it is of prime importance that men in the susceptible age group get regular check-ups so as to prevent the trauma of prostate cancer surgery. One of the early signs, apart from urinary problems, is an enlarged prostate, which can be manually felt by the physician. A simple blood test is usually a guide as to whether the patient has prostate cancer or not. If the doctor can clinically diagnose an enlarged gland, he will ask for an ultrasound test. Depending on the findings, the patient may have to undergo prostate cancer surgery.

Prostate cancer surgery is nothing to be frightened of as surgeons do it routinely.

Different Kinds of Prostate Cancer Surgery

Prostate cancer surgery may be routine for the surgeon, but there are many different types of surgery which can be done to remove the prostate gland. But it is important that the cancer is localized and not spread. Among the common surgery for prostate gland removal is the radical retropubic prostatectomy whereby the prostate gland is removed through a small cut in the abdomen. However, surgery may not be the first resort, depending on the stage the cancer is caught. Sometimes radiotherapy may be the first option. It is important to discuss all options and treatments before going in for prostate cancer surgery.

Prostate cancer surgery is not always done through an abdominal incision. Another type of prostate cancer surgery is called perineal prostatectomy where the cancer is removed via the perineum. Then there is laparoscopic surgery. What kind of surgery is done depends a great deal on how far the cancer has spread, because if the enlargement is too big it can affect the surrounding nerves and tissues and surgery has to be very precise not to cause further damage. Since prostate cancer surgery can cause adverse complications like impotence or incontinence, it always better to take an informed decision and explore all options. Sexual arousal, ejaculation, urine and bowel control can all be affected by the prostate gland.

Sometimes the enlarged prostate gland can cause urinary problems, especially when the urethra is blocked by the enlargement. In such cases the problem causing part can be excised and the rest heals on its own. But this is not necessarily a cure for prostate cancer, which is a more serious problem.

Prostate cancer surgery may not always be needed; sometimes the cancer can yield to radiation therapy. In the first place, regular medical check-ups are important to rule out any problems, especially with the prostate gland. However, if prostate cancer does occur, then different treatment options must be discussed with the medical practitioner or oncologist.

The information provided in this article, or through linkages to other sites, is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider.