Entries tagged Cancer

The Basic Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Published: Aug 1st, 2010 | Author: steffan kuntz Add Comment

It is very complicated and risky to recognize if you have a serious type of disease. Almost all doctors rely on the first early symptoms of certain disease. It is because the significance of the early symptoms of any disease is to warn the patient and the doctor about the general condition of the patient. Early symptoms or signs of ailment occur for a prior reason. It is also one of the most effective ways for the medical expert to diagnose the entire condition of the patient.

It is good to pay some of your attention to the early symptoms of your ailment. Often times these symptoms occur during the early stages of any types of disease. It is because the body will immediately react against foreign substances that have managed to enter your body. However there are also extreme cases of diseases in which there are no manifestations of early symptoms of such disease.

Cancer became the most well-known type of disease because of its tremendous effects towards the life of its victims. Cancer has no early symptoms because it masks itself as a normal type of cell. Most of the time, it is very difficult to diagnose a person with prostate cancer because its symptoms are indistinguishable. Unfortunately there are already several cases of patients who died due to prostate cancer. Generally the cause of their death is because they failed to recognize the early symptoms of prostate cancer. (more…)

Prostate Cancer – What is it and Why Should I Care?

The Basics:

The prostate is a walnut sized sex gland located just beneath the bladder in males. It surrounds as portion of the urethra and is just above the pelvic wall muscles. The primary function of the prostate is to provide some of the fluid which accompanies ejaculation. Prostate cancer generally occurs in men over 50, but early screening from 40 on is recommended in particular because during the early stages of the disease there are usually no symptoms. African American men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer for many socioeconomic reasons and are 2.5 times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men.

If there are symptoms present related to the disease they can include: frequent urination at night; difficulty starting or stopping urine; blood in the urine or painful urination; and/or sexual dysfunction. The primary treatments for the disease are surgery or radiation therapy and, if caught in time, usually the cancer can be removed and/or is not fatal. (more…)

Ovarian Cancer – The Facts You Need to Be Aware Of

The leading cause of death from genital malignancies in women is ovarian cancer. It accounts for almost 4% of all cancer deaths in women although not the highest incidence among reproductive tumors. Over time, the mortality rates have increased, this is most likely because of lack of early detection methods. Caucasian women show higher incidence rates of ovarian cancer than African-American women.

The cause of ovarian cancer is not known. The risk factors includes age, women older than 40 years old; Family history, also heredo-familial disease can be a major risk factor; null parity, a woman who has not given birth to an infant capable of survival; history of infertility; history of dysmenorrhea; and the use of ovulation-stimulating medications increase the risk that the p53 which is a tumor suppressor gene to mutate. (more…)

Radiation Therapy Can Lead to Suicide Attempts

For most cancer patients radiation therapy is their last chance to beat cancer. Unfortunately a number of people will attempt killing themselves during or just after their radiation therapy. For some this is due to the pain they have to endure during the radiation therapy regimen…and for others it’s due to radiation therapy long term effects like sterility that is caused by the radiation treatment (mostly affects those who have cancer in parts of the body near their reproductive organs). But the biggest risk group for suicide attempts, are those who go through radiation therapy and fail to get cured, since they are the most hopeless group.

People who have a severe medical condition like cancer are a major risk group for suicide. In fact cancer patients are 2x more likely to commit suicide compared to the general population. However it is important to note that by all factors, this number is most likely underestimated due to the fact that a high number of cancer related suicides go unreported. Pay extra attention to those who have oral, pharyngeal and lung cancers, since these groups are the most at risk. Suicide in cancer patients is mostly due to the fact that those suffering from cancer are usually dealing with massive depression. (more…)

Get to Know the Complex Ovarian Cyst

A complex ovarian cyst is common among women of child bearing age. Usually most cysts are 85% benign during child bearing age but in menopausal stage of women, there is a greater risk of cancer. Cysts are composed of liquid and solid. Solid parts pose the real danger as they can be malignant or benign. Research states that 85% of cysts are benign.

There are 3 types of cysts: cyst adenomas, endometrioma and dermoid. Cyst adenomas consists of liquid and mucus; it is usually painful and can grow quite large. On the other hand, endometrioma grows outside the uterus which is caused by endometriosis leading to ovarian complications if left untreated. The last type is Dermoid, produced from the same cells which make up the human egg. It can have hair, hair follicle and teeth and can cause large amount of pain. However, this is not a cancerous cyst.

Symptoms may include pain, pelvic discomfort, pain during sexual intercourse, abnormal bleeding, nausea, vomiting and breast tenderness. These symptoms resemble (to) pregnancy. However, some women may not experience any of these symptoms. More often, complex ovarian cyst is discovered during routine checkup. Early consultation and detection of this condition is necessary, especially if found on menopausal period, as this can be cancerous. (more…)

Cervical Cancer – 3 Ways Detect it Early

In the previous years, women aged 60 and above were the ones most prone to cervical cancer. But with the 2009 report, an alarming 58% of these cases were women within the age range of 40 and 50 years old only. With such stats, it is therefore important to know the signs of cervical carcinoma so that its symptoms can be contained. Advanced cases of this type of medical condition can become invasive, which means that there is a very good chance that the cancer cells will afflict surround tissues and muscles as well.

So what are the most common signs of cervical cancer?

1. Abnormal vaginal bleeding. Abnormal bleeding or signs of unusual blood spotting is one of the more common signs of the pre-cancer stages of the cervix. It may come in various forms like: blood spotting between menstrual periods, bouts of heavy and light menstruation, vaginal bleeding after sex, blood spotting after the menopausal stage and even vaginal bleeding after douching. In some cases, the woman may experience unusual discharge between menstruation’s. (more…)

About Ovarian Cyst Symptoms

Ovaries are the female reproductive organs in the body that produce and store eggs. An ovary cyst is a sac that gets formed on or in the ovaries and is filled with fluid. This cyst gets formed in a woman’s body when the ovaries are preparing eggs for release into the fallopian tubes. Most of the cysts are not harmful but some cysts may be connected to cancer.

An ovary cyst develops because of a number of reasons and can be of different types from benign to life threatening. Different types of cysts are Cystadenomas, Functional cyst, Polycystic ovaries, Dermoid cysts or Endometriomas. (more…)

Recognizing the Symptoms of Cervical Cancer

With so many different forms out there, both rare and common, cancer can be a difficult subject to think about, but it is certainly not a subject that should be ignored. Cervical cancer is a particular type of cancer that has affected women for a long time. Luckily, more and more treatments have recently been developed to treat the disease. However, it is important for women to know the symptoms of cervical cancer in order to be able to treat it as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, this does not have many symptoms in its early stages. Most signs do not appear until the cancer is in its more advanced stages. Even then, many women can easily confuse these symptoms with PMS. The best method of early detection is to get a regular Pap smear. (more…)

Overview of Cervical Cancer Stages and Their Treatment

Cervical cancer is a type of malignancy that occurs in women. Women at higher risk for cancer of the uterine cervix are those who begin sexual intercourse at an early stage, those who have multiple sex partners, history of multiple pregnancies, develop cervical dysplasia or sexual relations with high risk males. Studies suggest that during adolescence, cervical epithelial cells are particularly sensitive to carcinogenic change.

Cervical cancer is classified and treated according to four cervical cancer stages of differentiation. Stage one is characterized as growth limited only to the cervix. When growth extends beyond the cervix, it is already considered as stage two. It is classified as stage three once the growth has extended into the pelvic wall. Lastly, if the growth has extended to adjacent organs then it has already reached the fourth stage. (more…)

3 Things You Can Do to Support Breast Cancer

At the ripe old age of 32, I was thrust into the Breast Cancer survivor group. This put me into a category of women I really never expected to be in much less be in at such an early age. Never the less, here I am.

Next to, “How are you feeling” my most frequently asked question is “what can I do to support breast cancer?” I thought it was about time I put together a list of things the average person could do to help.

Pink Power: Susan G Komen Foundation

Frankly, I get chills when I see the pink ribbon. I can’t stand it because I was unlucky enough to go through a bilateral mastectomy during October. (Breast Cancer Awareness Month for those of you blissfully unaware.) Even though this is a painful reminder of how horrible it was for me, it is a good way to support breast cancer.

You can purchase just about anything you want by looking. Kitchen Aide has even teamed up with Susan G. Komen and you can find wonder pink colored products. It is called Cook for the Cure. (more…)