Cancer

Overview of Penile Cancer

2009-07-31T03:19:00.000-07:00

Penile cancer is cancer of the penis, the male sex organ, and it is not as common as other forms. This penile disorder can develop in people aged 60 years or older, in people that have phimosis (the foreskin cannot be pulled back over the glans), people that have poor personal hygiene, people that have too many sexual partners and people that consistently use tobacco products. The symptoms of this horrible disease include redness, irritation, or the development of a sore on the penis. Another symptom of it includes the development of a lump on the penis itself. A physical exam, the history of the patient, or a biopsy can be used to determine whether or not a person has it.

The chance of recovery and how to determine the treatment options depends on the prognosis of the disease. The prognosis is determined by the stage of the cancer, the location and the size of the tumor, and whether the cancer was just diagnosed or is recurring. There are three main tests performed to determine how far along the cancer has become and those tests are an MRI, a CT Scan, and an Ultrasound. An MRI, short for magnetic resonance imaging, uses radio waves to make a series of pictures of the patient's body. A CT Scan is a procedure that makes a series of pictures of the body from different angles. An Ultrasound is a procedure in which high energy sound waves are bounced off internal tissues or organs which then make echoes. The echoes then form a picture of the body's tissues known as a sonogram.

There are six common stages of this. Those stages include Stage 0, Stage I, Stage II, Stage III, Stage IV and recurrent cancer. Stage O is when abnormal cells are found on the surface of the skin of the penis. These abnormal cells might form into cancer and spread to other parts of the body but they might not spread at all. Stage O is also referred to as carcinoma in situation. Stage I is when the cancer has formed and spread to connective tissue just under the skin of the penis.

Stage II is when the cancer has spread to the tissue of just under the skin of the penis and to one lymph node in the groin or erectile tissue and may have spread to one lymph node in the groin. Stage III penile cancer is when the cancer has spread to the connective tissue or erectile tissue of the penis and to more than one lymph node on one or both sides of the groin or has spread to the urethra or the prostate. Stage IV is when the cancer has spread to tissues near the penis and may have spread to lymph nodes in the groin or the pelvis or has spread to anywhere in or near the penis or to other distant parts of the body. Recurring penile cancer is cancer that has gone away and returned again. The cancer can come back in the penis or in other parts of the body.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Overview-of-Penile-Cancer&id=2283056

Cancer Survival Statistics

2009-07-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Cancer survival statistics work like any other statistic, they express a statistical probability. So while pancreatic cancer survival statistics are not necessarily good, because it is an aggressive cancer, it is at the end of the day a statistic. A statistic is an estimate based on a sample of a population, providing an indication of the true population parameter. Which means in plain English that cancer survival statistics are an indication of how many people on average will survive cancer as an average, irrespective of personal conditions such as genetics, age, etc.

According to Sen. Mitch McConnell on Health-Care Reform

Remarks from the Senate Wednesday, June 10, 2009

"One thing most people like about health care in the U.S. is the quality of cancer care that's available here. Far too many Americans die from cancer. Yet for all the problems we have, the fact is, America boasts some of the highest cancer survival rates in the world".

How you handle your health before and after cancer has a direct affect on the prognosis of the disease. For instance the women that survive breast cancer are those that have examined their breasts regularly before they were diagnosed with cancer, and had regular mammograms. The statistics here are so good that those diagnosed in the earliest stages of breast cancer and who receive early treatment are a hundred percent.

That is not to minimize the treatment nor its affect on the patient, but it is amazing the mental difference that a hundred percent cancer survival prognosis can have. A bad mental attitude does not help being positive and upbeat is a vital process in adjusting cancer survival statistics in your favor. Despite the fact that most people are terrified when they first receive the news that they have breast cancer overcoming that fear is a major part of the prognosis. Understanding survival statistics can be extremely helpful in controlling your fears.

Few breast conserving treatment (BCT) data include women older than 70, yet a study of 910 women being treated by BCT for stage I-II breast cancer, when all patients received Radiotherapy (RT) found that a 65 month follow up found that a second cancer occurred in only 5.6 percent of cases. Six hundred and seventy six percent of cases were in complete remission (74.3%), 22 were evaluative (2.4%). 206 patients died (22.6%). The results of this study concluded that those that needed more aggressive treatment had been identified.

Improving the statistics is within your power, and empowerment regarding your treatment is the first of a series of steps that enable you to cheat the cancer survival statistics. Today cancer is a serious disease but it is not an automatic death sentence. The chance of surviving cancer depends firstly and foremost on the type of cancer, but your immediate environment, your diet, your mental state, your lifestyle all have an impact on whether your cancer survival statistics are better than the average.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Cancer-Survival-Statistics&id=2592022

What is Asbestos and Where Has it Commonly Been Used

2009-06-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

Asbestos is a natural fibrous mineral, and it is mined in a number of countries across the world. Historically, it has been a popular mineral to use in construction due to the fact that it is durable, flexible, resistant to chemical attack, an excellent insulator and able to withstand high temperatures. Even the name itself comes from the Greek language where it means 'un-extinguishable'.

In the UK, asbestos has been used since the industrial revolution when it was first used as insulation. Since then, it has been used in various applications such as fire retardant coatings, bricks, pipe lagging and lining of boilers.

There are three main forms of asbestos that occur naturally. The first is known as 'chrysotile', or white asbestos, and is by far the most commonly used type. It was usually mixed with cement to form corrugated roof sheets, or used to make flat sheets for walls and floors. Extremely flexible, it can be spun and woven like cloth which made it ideal as pipe insulation or even fireproof clothing. Considered to be dangerous to health, it was banned from the UK in 1999. It is estimated that this type accounts for up to 95% of all asbestos found in buildings.

The second type of asbestos is called 'amosite', or brown asbestos. In buildings it is most commonly found covering steel as fire protection or in walls as sound proofing. This type of asbestos is also considered harmful, and the import of amosite was banned in 1986.

The third form of asbestos is called 'crocidolite', or blue asbestos. It is a harder and less flexible form than the other types, but it is extremely strong and has a high acid resistance. It is considered to be the most dangerous of all asbestos types, and its use was strictly controlled from 1969 until it was finally banned in 1986.

It is essential that when asbestos it is found it is removed and disposed of correctly by a professional, licensed asbestos removal company, as the removal process can expose you to health risks if the correct procedures are not followed.

As asbestos has been used for over a century, it has been included in thousands of products. The list below gives some of the common uses for asbestos containing products so that you know what to be careful of when carrying out alterations to a property. While asbestos is generally safe if left alone, any damage can lead to the release of fibres which are dangerous to health.

Roof tiles and panels - asbestos is commonly found mixed with concrete to make either flat or corrugated panels. They are often seen as the roofs or walls of outbuildings and garages.

Roofing felt - asbestos can be found combined with bitumen in the felt often found covering flat roofs, where it gives flexibility and insulation. Some bitumen products containing asbestos were also used to make guttering.

Lagging - adding asbestos to cloth allowed it to be used to lag pipework and prevent heat loss or frost damage. Similar material was also used for fire blankets and some protective clothing.

Sound proofing - sprayed asbestos can often be found in under floors and in ceiling voids where it acts to prevent noise pollution.

Electrical insulation - Asbestos paper has been used to wrap electrical cabling and as the back of fuse boxes because of its non-flammable properties.

Spray coating - spraying asbestos on structural components of buildings provides protections against damage from heat and cold.

Loose packing - wall and ceiling cavities in older buildings may contain asbestos as it was frequently used as insulation.

Door linings - a flat sheet of asbestos under door panels provides resistance in the event of fire.

While this list gives you an idea of what to look for, it is not complete and if you are in any doubt a qualified asbestos surveyor should be contacted for advice. They will be able to assess the situation and advise you accordingly. If in any doubt ask a professional asbestos removal company to undertake an asbestos survey so that you are certain of what you dealing with before you start removing anything that could significantly harm your health.
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-Asbestos-and-Where-Has-it-Commonly-Been-Used&id=2408553

Skin Cancer Warning Signs - Five Signs and How to Prevent Skin Cancer

2009-05-03T06:44:00.001-07:00

Why is it important to know the five signs of skin cancer? It is important to know them because once you know the skin cancer warning signs, you can save yourself from getting worse. And if you do not have the signs, you should learn how to prevent it. This article will tell you what the five skin cancer warning signs are and how to prevent skin cancer.

The Five signs:

* You see a sore or spot on your skin for more than a month straight without healing
* You see a spot or experience a sore that itches, hurt, scab, crust or bleeding more than a month
* You see or experience an area of the skin that ulcerates or broke down without any obvious cause and does not heal in a month
* You see a shiny pink or red lump on your face, scalp, ears, hands, shoulders or back
* You see pink lumps that may bleed easily and ulcerate. It is often found on the face, neck and limps

These are some skin cancer warning signs and when you know it, you should really get a treatment. However, if you are NOT seeing any signs that you are having cancer, it is always important to prevent it and save yourself and decrease the likelihood. We all know that prevention is better than cure. Read on to learn how to prevent yourself from cancer.

What can you do to prevent cancer?

Studies have shown that those who take Resveratrol have better skin health. Resveratrol is a food supplement that has helps many people in achieving a healthier and better health. It can also help one to lower their blood sugar level significantly. Resveratrol has also been featured in the Oprah program and on other TV programs as well. It is also perfect for anyone who wishes to lose weight. Read below to find out more about what are the health benefits of Resveratrol.

What are health benefits of Resveratrol:

* Increase lifespan
* Prevent likelihood of having cancer
* More athletic nature
* Radiation protection
* Reduce Neurodegenerative Disease

These are just some of the benefits of Resveratrol. Its ability to cure sickness and prevent cancer has made it really popular in the market. Do not wait for the skin cancer warning signs to show up, prevent it as soon as possible with the help of Resveratrol.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Skin-Cancer-Warning-Signs---Five-Signs-and-How-to-Prevent-Skin-Cancer&id=2254326

Misdiagnosis of Breast Cancer

2009-04-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

In the U.S. close to 250,000 cases of breast cancer are being diagnosed every year. For women, this is the most common type diagnosed. This cancer is also one of the most misdiagnosis.

With the appropriate diagnosis and treatments, the survival rate increases for women. In addition, if the diagnosis does not happen early, the possible damage caused increases. There are also times when the misdiagnosis that occurs is that, in reality, there is no cancer at all. Women have gone through chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments when they were not needed.

What Causes a Misdiagnosis of Breast Cancer?

Misdiagnosis has many factors that lead to it. This normally includes one or more of the following:

* Radiology/mammography/biopsy mistakes - such as misread results
* Not recognizing symptoms of breast cancer or confusing signs and symptoms with another illness
* Failure to perform necessary tests

Because of misdiagnosis there could be a delay in treatment, not getting the right treatment and in some cases it ends up in death.

Doctors Make Mistakes

In the journal Cancer there was a study published in 2006 that showed disagreements between doctors regarding misdiagnosis of breast cancer. These disagreements range from mammograms interpretation to advising treatments for them.

This study also highlighted the importance of a second opinion in cases regarding the diagnosis in order to decrease the risk of error. Doctors make mistakes and getting a second opinion can make a difference from having a fatal illness and not having a fatal illness.

Some doctors fail to refer their patients to go get a second opinion. It is important to remember other medical staff such as specialists, can make mistakes. Point being, patients who have been misdiagnosis have legal rights and they can take action.

Misdiagnosis and Medical Malpractice

A diagnostic error is a type of medical malpractice. Victims can file a claim against the responsible party. Some compensation victims can claim includes:

* Pain and suffering
* Mental anguish
* Treatment expenses
* Disfigurement
* Loss of companionship/support

If you are a victim of medical malpractice, you have a deadline to file. These statutes of limitations are different in every state. To find out the laws in your state contact an attorney. They will protect your rights.

Contact an Attorney Today

Speak to a medical attorney if you are a victim of any form of misdiagnosis. An attorney protects the right of victims of these cases or any other type of cancer claim. These attorneys have countless success stories regarding compensation for their clients they will answer questions and give you legal advice, so contact an attorney today.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Misdiagnosis-of-Breast-Cancer&id=2189110

New Treatment Options For Breast Cancer Patients

2009-03-25T01:00:00.001-07:00

gery. To reduce the possibility of the recurrence of breast cancer, this treatment is given.

Pre-surgical chemotherapy "is to reduce the possibility of a large tumor and / or kill any stray cancer cells. This will also increase the possibility that the surgery will kill the cancer completely.

Regular chemotherapy, "this is usually the people who have breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast or the environment local area.

Hormone therapy may also occur, as many breast cancers, such as those having a broad estrogen or progesterone receptors are sensitive to changes in hormones.

Tamoxifen treatment of breast cancer

Women who are genetically at high risk of developing breast cancer may benefit from tamoxifen as it has previously been seen in reducing the incidence of the disease. Raloxifene, used to treat osteoporosis, is being studied for the treatment of breast cancer.

In some cases of breast cancer, a woman of natural hormones are suppressed with drugs, while other patients find benefits by adding hormones. Tamoxifen, for example, is currently the most commonly prescribed effective hormone treatment. It can be used to treat breast cancer and the prevention of breast cancer. Tamoxifen has few side effects and can significantly improve the lives of women who have advanced cases of breast cancer.

Fulvestrant treatment of breast cancer

Another treatment, Fulvestrant has recently been approved in the U.S.. It is planned to be used for the treatment of hormone receptor positive metastastic breast cancer in women who have been through menopause. Is given following antiestrogen therapy.

Monoclonal breast cancer treatment

Another treatment known as monoclonal antibodies is that they are antagonistic against the proteins, which are in or around the cancer cells. They recognize an invader like a cancer cell and attack him. This antibody therapy is currently being investigated has a lot of hope for those suffering from breast cancer.

Excessive intake of alcohol and obesity after menopause may increase the risk of developing breast cancer, although this increase is slight. Such women are physically active have a lower risk.

Preventive or prophylactic mastectomies

More and more women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer are taking preventive or prophylactic mastectomies to avoid developing breast cancer.

The main risk factors for women to develop breast cancer are age, sex and genetics. The woman can not do anything about some risks in order to prevent death due to breast cancer is recommended with newspapers.

Women should carry out regular screening, including self-examination, mammography and clinical breast exam.

I hope that reading the above information is both fun and educational for you. That is how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject can change over time in order to ensure that they keep abreast with the latest news.
http://ezinearticles.com/?New-Treatment-Options-For-Breast-
Cancer-Patients&id=1823906

New Drug Helps Slow Prostate Cancer

2009-02-27T23:36:00.000-08:00

An experimental pill that blocks the production of male hormones that fuel prostate cancer may help slow the growth of hard-to-treat tumors.

The novel agent, called abiraterone, shrank tumors by 30% or more in one-fourth of 31 patients whose prostate cancer continued to spread despite standard hormone therapy. In an additional 35% of men, tumors stopped growing.

"A few patients are still alive, without any signs of progression, more than a year after therapy began," says researcher Charles J. Ryan, MD, a cancer specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Without the new drug, they would have only been expected to live three or four months, he tells WebMD.

The researchers also used PSA levels to evaluate abiraterone's effectiveness. PSA levels are a measure of a protein called prostate-specific antigen, which is produced by cells in the prostate. High PSA levels can signal cancer. The National Cancer Institute views a response to treatment as being seen when there is at least a 50% decline in PSA blood level.

After 12 weeks of treatment, abiraterone reduced PSA levels by 50% or more in 71% of the men. In two men, PSA fell to undetectable levels.

Ryan presented the results here at the 2009 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. The meeting is co-sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and two other cancer care organizations.
How Abiraterone Works

"This is currently the most promising prostate cancer drug on the horizon," says ASCO spokesman Howard Sandler, MD, chairman of radiation oncology at the Samuel Oschin Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

"Here's a novel therapy hormone that seems to be active in men thought to be unresponsive to hormone therapy," he tells WebMD.

That may be because abiraterone works differently than other hormone treatments.

Prostate cancer grows when exposed to the male hormone testosterone and its related hormones, called androgens. Hormone treatment is given to halt the production of testosterone and androgens.

Current treatments -- surgical removal of the testes or medication -- prevent the production of male hormones in the testes. But these approaches do not prevent other parts of the body from making male hormones. Abiraterone targets an enzyme called CYP17 that is necessary for the production of male hormones throughout the body.

The new study involved men who had been surgically or medically treated to prevent testosterone production in the testes. None had been treated with chemotherapy, which is sometimes given when cancer continues to grow and spread despite treatment with hormone therapy.

The men took abiraterone orally once a day. The drug was generally well tolerated, with no patient stopping treatment due to side effects.

Ryan notes that another study that did include men who were given chemotherapy after hormone treatment stopped working had similar results.

The new study was funded by Cougar Biosciences, which makes abiraterone.

Researchers are now enrolling men in a larger, longer study in which they will be randomly assigned to abiraterone or a placebo. If the promising results hold up, the company will apply for FDA approval of the drug. But that's at least a few years away, doctors say.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among men in the U.S. It was diagnosed in more than 180,000 men and claimed the lives of more than 28,000 men in the U.S. last year.
http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/news/20090227/new-drug-helps-slow-prostate-cancer

ASCO GI: Rectal Cancer Incidence Increases in Younger Patients

2009-02-02T07:55:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 19 -- Rectal cancer incidence has shifted toward younger patients for reasons that are unexplained, according to a government database.

For patients younger than 40, the incidence rose by about 2% annually from 1973 to 2005, Joshua Meyer, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, reported at the Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium here.

In contrast, the incidence of colon cancer in the same age group decreased by 0.2% annually during the same time period.

"When we broke it down by male or female, it was going up in both sexes, and when we broke it down by race, it was going up in all races," said Dr. Meyer. "It was fairly substantial and surprising to us. There was about a two-fold increase over that period of time."

The incidence of rectal cancer did not increase in older individuals, he added.

Interest in a possible incidence shift began when several Weill Cornell clinicians observed that rectal cancer appeared to be occurring more often in younger patients. A review of institutional data confirmed the suspicion.

From 1990 to 2002, 2% of Weill Cornell's rectal cancers occurred in patients younger than 40. From 2002 to 2006, younger patients accounted for 7% of all rectal cancers at the center. Moreover, the mean age of rectal cancer patients deceased from about 70 in 2000 to 57 or 58 in 2008.

To determine whether the finding was an isolated statistic, Dr. Meyer and colleagues queried the NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for rectal cancer cases that occurred between 1973 and 2005.

They limited data extraction to cancer of the rectum and rectosigmoid occurring in patients younger than 40. For reference, Dr. Meyer and colleagues extracted incidence data in the same age group for sigmoid colon, descending colon, and "colon excluding the rectum."

The analysis showed the incidence of rectal cancer increased by 2.6% per annum and the incidence of cancer of the rectosigmoid by 2.2% (P<0.0001>P<0.0001).>

The annual incidence of rectal and rectosigmoid cancer increased to a similar degree in men and women younger than 40 and increased by 2% or more in whites, blacks, and "other" racial/ethnic groups (P£0.01 versus no change).

An extensive analysis of genetic, clinical, demographic, and lifestyle factors failed to turn up a possible explanation for the increased occurrence of rectal cancer in younger patients, said Dr. Meyer.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASCOGI/12512

New Treatment for Prostate Cancer Uses Measles Vaccine

2009-01-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

A study supported by the Mayo clinic shows that that certain strains of the measles virus vaccine have the ability to kill prostate cancer cells. Studies carried out in lab mice, testing the prostate cancer treatment with a strain of measles known as MV-CEA, resulted in complete regression of prostate cancer cells in one-fifth of mice tested, doubling survival time in the remaining animals treated with the measles virus vaccine.

According to Evanthia Galanis, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, senior author of the study, "Based on our preclinical results as well as the safety of measles derivatives in clinical trials against other tumor types, these viral strains could represent excellent candidates for clinical testing against advanced prostate cancer, including androgen resistant tumors."
The researchers hope that the measles virus vaccine can be used in combination with other treatments, providing new hope for men with advanced prostate cancer, for which there is currently no cure.

The measles virus vaccine can be used noninvasively to kill prostate cancer cells. The researchers found that MV-CEA infects, duplicates, and then kills prostate cancer cells when the measles virus vaccine is applied directly to prostate cancer cells using ultrasound-guided needle injections. A simple blood test, combined with MRI and ultrasound can be used to measure the success of prostate cancer therapy using measles vaccine, allowing for close monitoring of treatment.

The researchers also note the safety in using measles virus vaccine as a new approach for treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Measles vaccine has been in use for over forty years, and has been administered to millions of individuals.

The new study involving measles virus vaccine for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer appears in the journal The Prostate. The measles virus vaccine is currently being tested in three trials for prostate cancer treatment. The vaccine was also effective for other types of cancer, including lymphoma, ovarian and breast cancer, multiple myeloma, glioblastoma, and liver cancer.

The researchers view the findings that measles virus vaccine, MV-CEA effectively kills and limits the growth of prostate cancer cells, as a safe and novel therapy that can be developed for the treatment of advanced and recurrent prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is expected to have claimed 28,660 lives in American men in 2008.

Prognosis: Left Behind in Prostate Cancer Screening

2009-01-13T02:21:00.000-08:00

Prostate cancer screening has substantially increased early detection of the disease, but a new study suggests that too few low-income men are being screened.
The analysis, to be published in the February issue of The Journal of Urology, examined the medical records of 570 men who had received treatment for prostate cancer in a program for the poor and uninsured in California. It found that metastatic, or spreading, and other high-risk cancers were more common among them than in the general population.

Over a five-year period through June 2006, about 19 percent already had metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, compared with just 4 percent nationally. By contrast, low-risk cancers were far more common among more affluent men, suggesting that they were being screened more often.

“In prostate cancer, there’s a lot of talk about overdetection
and overtreatment,” said Dr. David C. Miller, the lead author and an assistant professor of urology at the University of Michigan. “But this study says that in these very disadvantaged men, there is underdetection and undertreatment, that the cancers are not being found early enough.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/health/research/13prog.html?ref=research

Vitamin supplements don't fight cancer, studies show

2008-12-21T05:51:00.000-08:00

They were some of the most promising medicines of the 1990s -- wonder pills that appeared to fight cancer, heart disease, stroke and other ailments.

Laboratory tests and initial studies in people suggested that lowly vitamins could play a crucial role in preventing some of the most intractable illnesses, especially in an aging population. The National Institutes of Health gave them the same treatment as top-notch pharmaceutical drugs, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in elaborate clinical trials designed to quantify their disease-fighting abilities.
Now the results from those trials are rolling in, and nearly all of them fail to show any benefit from taking vitamin and mineral supplements.

This month, two long-term trials with more than 50,000 participants offered fresh evidence that vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium supplements don't reduce the risk of prostate, colorectal, lung, bladder or pancreatic cancer. Other recent studies have found that over-the-counter vitamins and minerals offer no help in fighting other cancers, stroke or cardiovascular disease.

Research has even suggested that in some circumstances, the supplements can be unsafe.

Some physicians now advise their patients not to bother with the pills, and to rely instead on a healthy diet to provide needed vitamins and minerals.

"These things are ineffective, and in high doses they can cause harm," said Dr. Edgar R. Miller, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. "People are unhappy with their diets, they're stressed out, and they think it will help. It's just wishful thinking."

Yet faith in vitamins runs deep. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group in Washington, estimates that 64% of American adults take vitamin and mineral supplements.

Despite the steady drumbeat of reports questioning their efficacy, sales have risen steadily, from $5 billion in 1995 to $10 billion this year, according to the Nutrition Business Journal.

Scientists remain convinced that vitamins are essential to health. But they have puzzled over how their obvious benefits could be so elusive in randomized controlled trials, the gold standard of medical research.

"You really do need vitamin E. You really do need vitamin C. You really do need selenium," said Jeffrey Blumberg, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston. "Without them, you die."

Blumberg and others now believe that a combination of factors -- including the versions of vitamins that were tested and the populations they were tested in -- probably doomed the studies from the start.

"In retrospect, maybe the expectations were a little bit unrealistic," said Blumberg, whose research has been funded in part by supplement makers.

Unlike observational studies, which look backward at groups of people to identify factors that are associated with a particular disease, a forward-looking randomized controlled trial has the power to show whether a particular factor can prevent the disease.

The studies rely on thousands of participants who are randomly assigned to receive a medicine or a placebo. Researchers carefully track the participants so they can account for other factors that might affect health outcomes, such as age, diet and amount of physical activity. After several years, the researchers compare the number of people in each group who developed a particular disease and use statistical tools to see whether the medicine made a difference.

Vitamin A and beta carotene were the first supplements to be tested that way. In observational studies from the 1980s, researchers noticed that people who ate lots of vegetables rich in beta carotene, a form of vitamin A, were less likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer and other cancers compared with people who didn't. Thus, they reasoned, the vitamin supplements probably reduced the risk of lung cancer.

The thinking was, "Let's get a bunch of people who smoked for 30 years and see if it's going to be a magic bullet for them," said nutritionist Andrew Shao, a vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association for the supplement industry. "We were all guilty of wanting to go for that home-run-style randomized trial that would validate everything once and for all."

It didn't.

One trial that followed 29,000 male smokers in Finland for an average of six years found that men who took beta carotene were 18% more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer and 8% more likely to die during the study than men who didn't.

A second trial involved 18,000 American men and women who were smokers or former smokers or who were exposed to asbestos at work. That study found that after an average of four years, lung cancer rates were 28% higher among those who took beta carotene and vitamin A, and their overall risk of death during the trial jumped by 17%.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-sci-vitamins21-2008dec21,0,7589706.story

Prostate Cancer - Radical Prostatectomy

2008-11-29T01:36:00.000-08:00

Breast Cancer Can Be Prevented

2008-11-14T02:45:00.000-08:00

Cancer is one of the most hazardous diseases that can ever happen to anyone whether male or a female. Breast cancer happens to be one of the most common cancers after lung cancers. Breast cancer occurs due to the unwanted growth in the tissues as is the case in all the other cancers. The breast cancers can be detected through various ways like there could be a lump in either of the breasts or it can be near the armpits or at times on the collar bones. However, the breast cancer can have other symptoms for identification like swelling, changes in the size or shape of breasts, nipple inversion or discharge from the nipple.

No particular reasons have been traced for the occurrence of breast cancer. However, recent studies in this field are trying to hint that the deodorants and body spray might be one of the causes for breast cancers. Though no proper evidence has been found behind this but one thing can be said for sure that the ingredients like aluminum compounds and parabens that are used in deodorants can reinstall the cancerous growth in a person who has been cured of it. Thus to be on a safer side it is always better to not to use such deodorants.

However lot many deodorants are available in the market that does not contain these harmful ingredients and therefore, it would be safe to use them. Bionsen is one such company that is into producing these kinds of deodorants. The deodorants produced by the company are not made of these harmful substances and therefore are beneficial to all. Bodyhealthdebate.co.uk has got the details regarding this in details.

For more information you can see this : Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Treatment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michell_Jolie

Enzyme found to promote cancer

2008-09-18T04:43:00.000-07:00

A sugar-regulating enzyme that was thought to protect against cancer actually promotes a deadly form of leukaemia, scientists have found.

Researchers believe glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) could provide a new therapy targeting paving the way to new treatments.

The protein is one of a number of biological catalysts that help control sugar levels in the muscles and liver. It was previously found to halt uncontrolled cell growth, preventing several kinds of cancer.

But new data from the US show that GSK3 fuels a deadly white blood cell cancer that accounts for between 5% and 10% of child and adult leukaemias.

MLL or "mixed lineage" leukaemia is a particularly dangerous form of the disease that can either start in the lymph nodes or bone marrow.

Laboratory tests and experiments with mice showed that inhibiting GSK3 combated MLL leukaemias. More work is needed to find out how GSK3 revs up the disease.

Study leader Professor Michael Cleary, from Stanford Cancer Centre in California, said: "This finding was quite unexpected. GSK3 has never been implicated in promoting cancer."

Previous research had shown that GSK3 slows down malignancies such as colon cancer.

The scientists, who report their discovery in the journal Nature, are now hunting for potent GSK3-inhibitors that can safely be given to humans. GSK3 is said to be an especially promising target because it normally puts a brake on the growth of bone marrow stem cells.

Drugs that inhibit the enzyme may have a double whammy effect, killing cancerous blood cells and promoting the growth of healthy stem cells such as those used in marrow transplants.
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iXGBy9nnmNs61RCRWHVfC80dKbbg

Fighting Cancer With Whey

2008-08-31T01:19:00.001-07:00

Studies on whey demonstrate it's an even better protein supplement than previously thought. Although whey protein's health benefits have only recently been elucidated, the use of whey protein for medicinal purposes has been prescribed since the time of Hippocrates. In fact, there are two ancient proverbs from the Italian city of Florence that say, "If you want to live a healthy and active life, drink whey," and, "If everyone were raised on whey, doctors would be bankrupt."

In previous issues, we've chronicled the extensive research showing the many potential health benefits of whey protein concentrate. The majority of that research was done in the 1980s and early 1990s, and was extremely persuasive. Scientists have continued their research on whey proteins with even more impressive results. What follows is some of the more current, interesting and useful research on whey proteins.

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Skin Cancer

2008-08-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

Skin Cancer, edited by Dr. Keyvan Nouri, is an excellent reference for dermatologists and other specialists. The first 35 chapters include a comprehensive review of cancers and tumors of the skin, hair, and nails. This section begins with a thorough description of normal skin, aging skin, and the epidemiology and etiology of skin cancer. The next 30 chapters present an in depth discussion of various cancers including outstanding clinical and histopathologic corrections. The clinical photographs of the dermatological manifestations of internal malignancies are most impressive. Also included in each chapter is a differential diagnosis and a brief review of treatment options and prognoses.

The second section of the textbook addresses the techniques for evaluation, including biopsies, dermoscopies, and sentinel lymph node biopsies. This is followed by a comprehensive as-sessment of treatment options such as Mohs surgery, cryosurgery, photodynamic therapy, radiation, topical therapy, and vaccines. Skin cancer prevention and sunscreens are also reviewed.

The third and last section includes related issues such as photography, economic and medical legal issues, psychosocial aspects, and public awareness of skin cancer.

Each chapter of the book has a well delineated overview and summary. This contributes to the textbook being user friendly as a reference and easily readable. Each of the 55 chapters is well referenced. The authors are all respected experts in their field of specialty. I would like to compliment Dr. Nouri on the high quality of the photographs. These color illustrations enhance the value of this textbook to all specialties as a comprehensive reference on skin cancer.
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Chemotherapy For Ovarian Cancer

2008-08-01T18:37:00.001-07:00

Ovarian cancer is a disease that afflicts up to 25,000 women in America every year. This disease begins with tumors in the ovaries, but the disease spreads as the tumors eventually attack other parts of the body. Some women have their ovaries removed when the disease is caught at an early stage. However, at a certain point in the disease's progression, surgery becomes futile, and the patient's best hope becomes chemotherapy.

The problem with chemotherapy is that it is extremely uncomfortable, even painful, and many women are discouraged by the overall survival rates of ovarian cancer victims. Still, for others, anything is worth trying for that fighting chance to live.

Before you decide whether or not chemotherapy is for you, it's best to know the facts:

Ovarian cancer chemotherapy uses powerful chemicals to kill the cancerous cells in your body. These chemicals enter your body sometimes through drugs taken orally, but more often they are directly pumped into the blood stream using an IV needle and a tube.

Chemotherapy is uncomfortable. It usually makes you feel much worse before you start to feel better. Patients undergoing chemotherapy often feel nauseous. They usually lose their hair.

These effects happen because the chemicals killing the cancer cells are also, at the same time, killing healthy cells. The expectation is that the cancer cells will be eradicated before the healthy cells are. This is why it is very important for chemotherapy patients to take care of their bodies and keep their healthy cells fit to stay in the lead.

But after the chemicals do their job, then you start feeling better. In fact, even in cases where chemotherapy is unable to treat the cancer many doctors still prescribe chemotherapy because even in situations where not all the cancer cells are killed, chemotherapy destroys enough of them to still give the patient relief from some of the cancer's symptoms.

There is another important thing you need to know about ovarian cancer chemotherapy: no matter what happens to you, when you subject yourself to it you are giving other people a better chance of fighting the disease. Every ovarian cancer chemotherapy session gives the medical community a better understanding of how to best treat ovarian cancer. New facts that could be discovered during your treatment may one day help your daughter, your granddaughter, and many other women that come after you - whether or not the chemotherapy helps you yourself.

Althaf Ahmed runs Chemotherapy Side Effects, a blog that answers people's everyday questions related to business and life. You can read more How to advices at How To Do Anything

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Althaf_Ahmed

Cancer is a Fungus

2008-07-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

Solving the cancer issue is like a puzzle. You hear many things, but it is sometimes difficult to put the pieces together. In his recent book, Dr Tullio Simoncini, an Italian Oncologist says,
"Much evidence indicates that this is the road to take: the analogy between psoriasis - an incurable disease of the skin that many treat as fungus - with tumors, which is also an incurable disease of the organism; the symptomatological overlapping of systemic candidosis and cancer; and the strict genetic relationship between mycetes and neoplastic masses. These are all elements that support and confirm the point of view that all types of cancer, as happens in the vegetal world, are caused by a fungus."

The good Doctor goes on to explain, "A fungus infection - that of the Candida species - could supply the explanation for why a tumour occurs; and it is in this direction that research should move in the attempt to solve the problem of cancer once and for all."*

Dr Simoncini regularly attends medical conferences and does interviews to explain what's wrong with conventional cancer theories and treatments, to present his fungal theory of cancer and to describe case studies involving patients healed with sodium bicarbonate, a powerful anti-fungal. His book, Cancer is a Fungus: A revolution in the therapy of tumors (Edizioni Lampis), is available in Italian, Dutch and English from the website (see below)

So, is the cause of cancer a common fungus? A yeast infection as common as Candida?
Other reports and articles seem to be supporting this information.

* "Grapes' Anti-fungal Agent May Fight Cancer" 3/16/02
* "Grape Skin Protein Kills Cancer Cells" 6/9/04
* "Chlorophyll Derivative May Cut Liver Cancer Risk"
* The CBS News story, "Fungus Among Us May Cure Cancer"
* "Plants, Fungi, Sea Creatures Tested In Hunt For Cancer Drug" - Frederick, Maryland, Dec. 20, 2004

Follow the money. If Cancer is a fungus, then the American Cancer Society would be out-of-business.

Follow the money. Billions of dollars in research would be down the drain, and the drug companies would have nothing for which to make a new drug.

IF taking a simple, common and inexpensive product like Yeast Balance from Enzymatic Therapy or Candida Gone from Renew Life, or Yeast-Cleanse from Solaray, or many other products from your health food store may be the answer. We are not doctors or pharmacists and we do not prescribe, but you can be sure that a good yeast cleanse will be part of my health regime in the future.

*Excerpt from the book, "Cancer is a fungus", by Dr Tullio Simoncini, Oncologist ©2007.

- Phil Robbins, The Vitamin Store, http://www.ShopTheVitaminStore.com

Phil Robbins began his interest in nutrition, vitamins and supplementation in the early 1990's in search of a cranberry extract to stop his re-occurrence of kidney stones. He has since worked for one of the foremost and noted health food store owners in America, and began his own store as a retirement venture in 2006. Phil Robbins, The Vitamin Store, http://www.ShopTheVitaminStore.com - Discount Vitamins

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Cancer- My Chemical Romance

2008-07-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

Cancer fight

2008-07-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

TELEVISION presenter Trisha Goddard has revealed that she approaches her fight against cancer the same way she treats an exercise class.
She said her mindset when undergoing chemotherapy is the same as when she is in the gymnasium.

Goddard, right, who lives near Norwich and presents the channel Five show Trisha, announced that she had cancer in April.

"I'm halfway through my regime of chemo. Just another nine weeks to go," she said. "My mindset is the same as when I'm in the gym and ...

halfway through, my mind starts with the 'I can't, I can't' stuff. That's when I get cross with myself and say, 'shut up, stop whinging and just do another few'."
http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Cancer-fight.4283436.jp

What is Skin Cancer?

2008-06-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

The bad news is that there are more diagnosed cases of skin cancer every year than any other kind of cancer. The good news is that there are very, very few deaths attributed to this disease.

Skin cancer is the most treatable of all types, and the results of treatment are almost always positive. This year, there are expected to be a million new cases of skin cancer diagnosed, but only 1,000 deaths are expected that are caused by the disease. So you can see that even if you are diagnosed with skin cancer, your odds are 1,000 to 1 that you will beat the disease. Those are terrific odds!

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Colon Cancer

2008-06-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

Cancer Research

2008-05-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

"Today the boundaries between medical and biological disciplines have vanished. . . . In an anatomy department, biologists, chemists, and physicists can present the human body to medical students as an uninterrupted ascent from atoms to man: from the tens of atoms that make a small molecule, to the thousands of molecules that make a polymer (such as a protein or a nucleic acid), to the millions of such polymers that make a cell, to the billions of cells that make a tissue, and the trillions of specialized cells that create a body. In a wider, panoramic view, the human body and its behavior becomes a tiny decoration in the tapestry of life interwoven with the incredible variety of plasmids, viruses, bacteria, plants, and animals in a 4-billion-year evolutionary development." Thus observed physician and biochemist Arthur Kornberg.1 Medical students are not alone in confronting myriad levels of complexity and scales of spatial and temporal organization. Freshman biology textbooks present a similar panorama from chemical bonds between atoms to the evolution of ecological systems.

A first lesson for physics students is the vast range of scales from subatomic particles to medium-size things we handle everyday to galaxies and the universe itself. The expansive education is invaluable. When students later specialize in a particular area of research, they are likely to focus on one or a few levels that are more relevant than the others. The concentration comes with the risk of digging oneself into a hole and studying the sky from the bottom a well, as is expressed by ideologies asserting that all is nothing but genes or nothing but ecology. To avoid such traps is a constant struggle in scientific research. Analysis and synthesis in cancer research Consider a medical phenomenon, cancer. Which of the following do you think true? A. Cancer is essentially a genetic disease.2B. Cancer is a disorder of unregulated proliferation of abnormal cells.3C. Smoking accounts for roughly 30 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States, overweight and obesity account for 15-20 percent.4

It is F, according to available scientific data, although some people reject any answer that does not conform to their pet ideology. Statements A to E describe cancer from the perspectives of different organizational levels: molecular, cellular, personal, familial, and environmental. A major achievement in cancer research is the introduction of a framework that accommodates phenomena in these levels and roughly explains their interrelationships. Its center of gravity lies on the molecular and cellular levels. Nevertheless, its explanations of how certain viruses, chemicals, and radiations contribute to cancer suggest links to environmental and social researches on people's exposure to these carcinogens. Cancer research underscores the systematic approach that makes natural science and modern engineering so powerful. Faced with a complex phenomenon, scientists analyze or reduce it to components and simpler factors that can be investigated thoroughly, for instance analyzing cancer development into cellular dynamics and gene mutations. The fruitfulness of the reductive approach is apparent when one compares the abundant solid knowledge it yields to the empty rhetoric of mystical holism that insists all is a seamless web impervious to analysis. To analyze, however, is not to analyze away.

Reducing cancer to genes is not subscribing to a dogmatic reductionism that regards a patient as nothing but a bag of genes. Despite the success and glamor of genetics and molecular biology in disease research, few if any researcher would disagree with the editors of a recent segment on complex diseases in Science: "It's not just the genes."7 Holism that reviles analysis and reductionism that reviles synthesis are both detrimental to science, in which analysis and synthesis are complementary. For scientific research, reduction of a phenomenon into elements is incomplete if not followed by integration of relevant elements for the goal of explaining the original phenomenon. Socrates recommended the methods of division and collection. Galileo's methods were described as resolution and composition. Newton explained the effects of analysis and synthesis in scientific investigations. Descartes followed a similar vein and went further to combine analysis and synthesis as two steps of a single method. Perhaps the most comprehensive articulation comes from engineers. In designing complex systems such airplanes, engineers must ensure the functions of the airplane as an integral whole and specify minute details of its ten thousand parts that must work together. To rationalize design processes, they have developed systems engineering, in which analysis and synthesis are graphically depicted as the letter "V." The downward stroke of the V represents the decomposition of a system into smaller and smaller parts and the upward stroke the assemblage of the parts into the system as a whole.
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How Soon To Resume Sex After Mastectomy

2008-05-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

Sexual matters and issues are of great concern for many cancer patients during the period of treatment. While most patients would comfortably discuss sexual issues with their doctors, others would not even hear of it. Sex is the last thing a woman would like to discuss during this treatment period. Otherwise many women would be comfortable discussing sexual matters at least six months or a year after treatment. This is an opinion of older women compared to younger women who would have like to delve into sexual discussions immediately. However prediction of an outcome especially if it has to be good, is determined by a patient's attitude. A person who loves her body and in a good sexually active relationship offers the best outcome. Many women in this case are trying to overcome trauma associated with cancer and sex after mastectomy does not appeal to many.

The trauma of losing a breast during mastectomy can really impact heavily on a woman's sexual life. However there is still a positive side to it as most women confess that a mastectomy rarely interferes or inhibits their sexual exploits and enjoyment. A number of women are not comfortable with nudity after mastectomy. The scars they have only add to their trauma. They would be very unsettled if someone stared or looked at their scars. They fear engaging in active sex. They haven't yet learnt to love their scars. But for how long would they continue hiding them? And how long would it take them to resume sex after mastectomy? The breast area is the bone of contention and many women are very sensitive physically and emotionally specifically towards the area of operation, the breasts. Touching and scrutinizing these areas is not something positively welcomed.

Vaginal dryness and an early menopause occur as a result of ovaries being damaged during treatment. These are some of the worst side effects of chemotherapy. These are the hard facts which make a woman to take up to a year before she can think of discussing sexual matters. And how long will it take her to resume sex after mastectomy? However this should not be a problem especially with the advent of lubricants. Though some brands are greasy or excessively thick, there are brands that almost mimic nature and provide maximum lubrication. However it is not advisable to use estrogen based lubricants as it might be absorbed into the body.

Women subjected to surgery and mastectomy, are usually adjusted in good measure emotionally as well as sexually in one year just like their counterparts who just had a minor operation. It all takes courage and attitude change to resume an active sex life. The fatigue experienced long after chemotherapy makes sexual intercourse daunting. However, getting into the mood is the first step towards resuming sex after mastectomy. It can be a gradual process that does not involve penetration at first. It only gets to that level after the couple is comfortable with the sensitive nudity of the woman.
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Stay Alert to Cervical Cancer

2008-04-26T22:54:00.000-07:00

Every two minutes a woman died because of cervical cancer.

In some countries cervical cancer is the number one cancer occurred to woman. Poor knowledge of women to this cancer is the main trigger of rapid incidence of the disease.

Every woman - without reference to age and background- can be incured by cervical cancer, the cancer that caused by infection of human papilloma virus (HPV).

In Pacific Asia about 266.000 cases of cervical cancer can be found every year, 143.000 of them passed away in productive age.

In developing countries only 41% of patients of cervical cancer will get the treatment which they require to get healing.

Combination of early detection through screening and vaccination can depress the number of occurence of cervical cancer to woman.

Cervical cancer really influences the quality of a woman life and her closest environment: her family. In consequence, each woman has to alert to cervical cancer by knowing the disease, its detection and prevention accurately.

Early Detection
There is no symptom of cervical cancer in early stage. But it can be detected, that is by conducting Pap Smears. The advantage of Pap Smears is to find the cancer earlier so the management will much easier and the woman has a better quality of life.A woman should do Pap Smears one year after she is sexually active, and repeats it regularly every year. There are 100 types of HPV identified and most of them are not harmful and also do not show the symptom. Fourty types of HPV may be contagious through sexual intercourse; they are classified into two groups: HPV causing cancer and low risk HPV.

Every woman is having the risk of being infected by cervical cancer during their life without reference to age and life style. HPV easily infected through skin contact and sexual intercourse. Condom use cannot lessen the risk of spreading HPV.

About 50-80% women are infected by HPV through sexual contact. About 50% of the infection is potencial to grow to be cancer. The risk is started from the very first sexual contact.

Not likely other viruses, if a woman is infected by HPV, it does not mean that she will have immunity to the virus. The woman remains to have risks to get the repeated infection from same or different types of HPV.

Vaccination
Other prevention is conducting HPV vaccination. In this time there is available vaccine of type 16 HPV and type 18 HPV. These types are responsible to 70% cases of cervical cancer in Asia.

Vaccine will improve the ability of immune system to recognize and to kill the virus when it enters the body before the occurance of infection.
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