Healthy Living Tips

One of the most significant concerns of breast cancer patients is the rate at which the cancer is likely to spread. If the rate and aggressiveness with which the cancer will spread cab be determined, the aggressiveness of the chemo treatment can also be determined. Patients with a type of cancer that is less likely to spread need not be treated as aggressively as the ones with cancer that has a tendency to spread rapidly.

Breast cancer is a disease that takes a physical and emotional toll on the patient. The violent effects of chemo on the body disturbs even the strongest of individuals. Therefore, if the strength of the chemo treatment that must be administered can be determined it will be of great help to several women suffering from this devastating disease.

As a result of recent studies, researchers have been able to discover how to determine, with a certain level of accuracy, the rate at which the breast cancer cells in a particular patient is likely to spread. This is groundbreaking research because as of now there is no reliable method by which physicians can predict what cancers will spread and how rapidly they will. This makes it very difficult to determine which patients should receive aggressive chemo and which ones need not.

For patients who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer, there is no hundred percent accurate way of predicting whether the cancer cells will return with a vengeance even after they finish treatment. If doctors are able to identify those patients who need especially aggressive chemo sessions because their cancer cells have a propensity to spread rapidly and aggressively, the right treatment can be administered at the right time to save lives. At the same time, unnecessary treatments and hardships can also be avoided by patients who do no particularly need aggressive chemo courses.

The researchers studied a group of women with cancer that had not spread to their lymph nodes and who had not received any chemo or hormonal therapy. The results that were gathered from them were then used to analyze the tumor cells and identify the specific markers that predict relapse of cancer. Studying how these genes travel give researchers a fairly accurate method of predicting what type of cancer they are dealing with, whether the cancer cells are likely to return in future and whether it will spread aggressively.

The results of the study give patients more options to decide on how they need to approach the disease.

Source:http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Marker-that-Indicates-Breast-Cancer-Recurrence/1280940

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Several different types of cancer can occur in the stomach. The most common type is called adenocarcinoma, which starts from one of the common cell types found in the lining of the stomach. There are several types of adenocarcinoma. Because other types of gastric cancer occur much less frequently, this article focuses on adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

Adenocarcinoma of the stomach is a common cancer of the digestive tract worldwide, although it is relatively uncommon in the United States. It occurs most frequently in men over 40 years old. This form of gastric cancer is extremely common in Japan, Chile, and Iceland. The rate of most types of gastric adenocarcinoma in the United States has declined over the years. Experts think the decrease may be related to reduced intake of salted, cured, and smoked foods.

Diagnosis is often delayed because symptoms may not occur in the early stages of the disease, or because patients self-treat symptoms that may be common to other, less serious gastrointestinal disorders (bloating, gas, heartburn, and a sense of fullness).

Risk factors for gastric cancer are a family history of gastric cancer, infection, blood type A, smoking, a history of pernicious anemia, a history of chronic atrophic gastritis, a condition of decreased gastric acid, and a prior history of an adenomatous gastric polyp.

Symptoms

Abdominal pain
Breath odor
Difficulty swallowing, particularly difficulty that increases over time
Excessive belching
Excessive gas (flatus)
General decline in health
Loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Premature abdominal fullness after meals
Unintentional weight loss
Vague abdominal fullness
Vomiting blood
Weakness or fatigue

Signs and tests

The following tests can help diagnose gastric cancer:

Complete blood count (CBC) to check for anemia
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with biopsy
Stool test to check for blood in the stools
Upper GI series

Source: http://www.healthline.com/

The lungs are two large spongy organs located inside the chest cavity. Air is breathed into the trachea (windpipe) and moves down two tubes called bronchi, each going to a lung. These tubes divide into bronchioles and then into tiny air sacs called alveoli. Lung cancers usually start in the cells lining the airways. There are different types of lung cancer, depending on which cells are affected.
Over 1,400 Victorians are diagnosed with lung cancer every year. Lung cancer occurs most often in adults between the ages of 40 and 70 who have smoked cigarettes for at least 20 years. We do not know the cause in all cases; however, up to nine out of 10 lung cancers are caused by smoking. Lung cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer in Australia.

Different types of lung cancer
A cancer that starts in the cells lining an organ is known as a carcinoma. There are different typesc of lung cancer, depending on which cells are affected. The two main types are:

Small cell carcinoma or ‘oat cell carcinoma’, named after its cell shape. Around 15 per cent of lung cancers are small cell carcinomas. This type of cancer spreads early and shows few early symptoms.

Non-small cell carcinoma – these cancers affect the cells that line the main bronchi.

Different types of non-small cell cancer
Some of the different types of non-small cell cancer include:

Squamous cell carcinoma is generally discovered earlier than other lung cancers and has the best outcome after treatment

Adenocarcinoma – is now the most common type in both males and females; the reason for the increasing incidence may be related to changing patterns of smoking including filtered cigarettes

Large cell carcinoma

Bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma.

Sometimes it is not possible to tell which type someone has. This is because, when the cells are looked at under a microscope, they are not developed enough.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of lung cancer include:

Persistent cough and/or new or changed wheeze
Breathlessness
Blood-streaked phlegm
Pains in the chest
Recurring pneumonia or chest infections
Recurring bronchitis
Unexplained weight loss.

Diagnosis
Lung cancer is diagnosed using a number of tests, which may include:

Chest x-rays – cancers as small as one centimetre can be spotted on x-rays.

Sputum cytology – a sample of sputum (phlegm) is examined under a microscope to check for abnormal cells.

Bronchoscopy – a flexible tube is inserted through the mouth or nose and down the trachea, allowing the doctor to look at the lung tissue and take a small sample of tissue and phlegm.

Fine needle aspiration – a small sample of tissue is removed using a needle inserted through the chest wall.

Mediastinoscopy – a flexible tube is inserted into a cut in the neck and down to the lymph nodes to check for cancer cells in the lymph nodes.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery – instruments similar to bronchoscopes are inserted into the chest wall under general anaesthetic and tissue samples may be taken.

Computed tomography (CT) scan – a specialised x-ray taken from many different angles, to build a three-dimensional picture of your body.

Fluoro-Deoxy Glucose (FDG) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan – used in diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. This test involves having an injection of a small amount of radioactive material. Using the signals from this radioactive injection, a scanner can build up a picture of the body.

Other tests – including bone scans, to see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Treatment
Lung cancer is categorised into stages according to its spread. This helps the doctors to decide on appropriate treatments. Treatment options include:

Surgery – to remove the affected part of the lung (lobectomy) or an entire lung (pneumonectomy). This offers the best chance of cure if the cancer has not spread beyond the lungs.

Chemotherapy – anti-cancer drugs are given to stop cancer cells from multiplying. This treatment is most effective for small cell carcinoma.

Radiotherapy – the use of x-rays to target and kill cancer cells. Radiotherapy may be used against some early stage lung cancers and to stop cancer in the lymph nodes from spreading further. Prophylactic brain radiotherapy is often offered to people with small cell lung cancer to reduce the risk of their lung cancer spreading to their brain.

Multimodality therapy – for some people, several treatments used together give the best results.

Targeted therapy – use of small molecules, often in tablet form, that may be used after chemotherapy.

Clinical trials – participation in a clinical trial that investigates the safety and effectiveness of novel drugs may be offered.

As with most cancers, the results are best if the cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages. However, some lung cancers aren’t diagnosed until they are quite advanced. Treatment may then be limited to easing the symptoms and can include:

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy – to contain the cancer.

Medication – including pain relievers.

Surgery – to remove cancers that are blocking main airways or to seal bleeding blood vessels.

Quit smoking programs – people diagnosed with cancer have seen benefits ranging from increased longevity (length of life) and improved quality of life, depending on their disease status, once they quit smoking.

Source:http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/

Not all brain tumors cause symptoms, and some (such as tumors of the pituitary gland) are found mainly after death. The symptoms of brain tumors are numerous and not specific to brain tumors, meaning they can be caused by many other illnesses as well. The only way to know for sure what is causing the symptoms is to undergo diagnostic testing.

The symptoms are caused by the tumor pressing on or encroaching on other parts of your brain and keeping them from functioning normally.

Some symptoms are caused by swelling in the brain caused by the tumor or surrounding inflammation.

The symptoms of primary and metastatic brain cancers are similar.

The following symptoms are most common:

Headache
Weakness
Clumsiness
Difficulty walking
Seizures

Other nonspecific symptoms and signs include the following:

Altered mental status - Changes in concentration, memory, attention, or alertness
Nausea, vomiting - Especially early in the morning
Abnormalities in vision
Difficulty with speech
Gradual changes in intellectual or emotional capacity

In many people, the onset of these symptoms is very gradual and may be missed by both the person with the brain tumor and the family. Occasionally, however, these symptoms appear more rapidly. In some instances, the person acts as if he or she is having stroke.

Brain Cancer Symptoms: When to Seek Medical Care

See your health care provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms:

Unexplained, persistent vomiting
Double vision or unexplained blurring of vision, especially on only one side
Lethargy or increased sleepiness
New seizures
New pattern or type of headaches

Although headaches are thought to be a common symptom of brain cancer, they may not occur until late in the progression of the disease. If any significant change in your headache pattern occurs, your health care provider may suggest that you go the hospital.

If you have a known brain tumor, any new symptoms or relatively sudden or rapid worsening of symptoms warrants a trip to the nearest hospital emergency department. Be on the lookout for the following new symptoms:

Seizures
Changes in mental status, such as excessive sleepiness, memory problems, or inability to concentrate
Visual changes or other sensory problems
Difficulty with speech or in expressing yourself
Changes in behavior or personality
Clumsiness or difficulty walking
Nausea or vomiting (especially in middle-aged or older people)
Sudden onset of fever, especially after chemotherapy.

Source:http://www.webmd.com/ 

Brain cancer is a disease of the brain in which cancer cells (malignant) arise in the brain tissue. Cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissue (tumor) that interferes with brain functions such as muscle control, sensation, memory, and other normal body functions. Tumors composed of cancer cells are called malignant tumors, and those composed of noncancerous cells are called benign tumors. Cancer cells that develop from brain tissue are called primary brain tumors while tumors that spread from other body sites to the brain are termed metastatic brain tumors. Statistics suggest that brain cancer occurs infrequently and is likely to develop in about 22,000 new people per year in 2009, with about 13,000 deaths as estimated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Not all brain tumors are alike, even if they arise from the same type of brain tissue. Tumors are assigned a grade depending on how the cells in the tumor appear microscopically. The grade also provides insight as to the cell's growth rate.

NCI lists the following grades:
Grade I: The tissue is benign. The cells look nearly like normal brain cells, and they grow slowly. Grade II: The tissue is malignant. The cells look less like normal cells than do the cells in a grade I tumor.
Grade III: The malignant tissue has cells that look very different from normal cells. The abnormal cells are actively growing (anaplastic).
Grade IV: The malignant tissue has cells that look most abnormal and tend to grow quickly. The most common primary brain tumors are usually named for the brain tissue type from which they originally developed. These are gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, vestibular schwannomas, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (medulloblastomas). Gliomas have several subtypes which include astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, ependymomas, and choroid plexus papillomas. When the grades are coupled with the tumor name, it gives doctors a better understanding about the severity of the brain cancer. For example, a grade III (anaplastic) glioma is an aggressive tumor, while an acoustic neuroma is a grade I benign tumor. However, even benign tumors can cause serious problems if they grow big enough to cause increased intracranial pressure or obstruct vascular structures or cerebrospinal fluid flow.

What is metastatic brain cancer?
Cancer cells that develop in a body organ such as the lung (primary cancer tissue type) can spread via the bloodstream or lymphatic system to other body organs such as the brain. Tumors formed by such cancer cells that spread (metastasize) to other organs are called metastatic tumors. Metastatic brain cancer is a mass of cells (tumor) that originated in another body organ and has spread into the brain tissue. Metastatic tumors in the brain are more common than primary brain tumors. They are usually named after the tissue or organ where the cancer first developed (for example, metastatic lung orbreast cancer tumors in the brain, which are the most common types found).

What causes brain cancer?
Primary brain tumors arise from many types of brain tissue (for example, glial cells, astrocytes, and other brain cell types). Metastatic brain cancer is caused by the spread of cancer cells from a body organ to the brain. However, the causes for the change from normal cells to cancer cells in both metastatic and primary brain tumors are not fully understood. Data gathered by research scientists show that people with certain risk factors are more likely to develop brain cancer. Individuals with risk factors such as having a job in an oil refinery, as a chemist, embalmer, or rubber-industry worker show higher rates of brain cancer. Some families have several members with brain cancer, but heredity as a cause for brain tumors has not been proven. Other risk factors such assmoking, radiation exposure, and viral infection (HIV) have been suggested but not proven to cause brain cancer. There is no good evidence that brain cancer is contagious, caused by head trauma, or caused by cell phone use. Although many lay press and Web articles claim that aspartame (artificial sweetener) causes brain cancer, as of 2009, the FDA maintains that it does not cause brain cancer and base their findings on over 100 toxicological and clinical studies regarding the sweetener's safety.

Source:http://www.medicinenet.com/brain_cancer/article.htm