American women are very much aware that they stand in the middle of a veritable epidemic of breast cancer. There are many reasons for this including the longest period between puberty and menopause ever seen in human history, low rates of childbearing, environment exposure to chemical estrogens and the simple risk of living too long. As of today the statistics show that 2 in 9 American women will develop breast cancer during some point of their life. In fact around 200,000 American women get this ailment yearly and as much as 50,000 may die due to this disease. Worldwide around 1.5 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and 500,000 die every year.

There is another interesting fact about this disease. It is one of the cancers whose incidence changes dramatically when people migrate and change their dietary habits. Asian women – those from Japan and China are known to have a very low incidence of breast cancer. This is generally attributed to their much higher levels of consumption of soy, seafood and tea. When they move from their native countries to America they acquire the high American levels of cancer occurrence within one generation itself. It is believed that when Asian women move to America they consume high levels of animal fat and low levels of soy, seafood and tea. (more…)

One of the most common forms of cancer nowadays is skin cancer, or more accurately, the three cancers associated with the skin since there are 3 major types of this cancer.

The most commonly seen and least harmful is what is known as a rodent ulcer ( or basal cell carcinoma). Then we see a skin cancer named Squamous cell carcinoma. Last but not least we come to what I would have to say is the most recognized type of skin cancer referred to as malignant melanoma. This third form is the most lethal but mercifully also the rarest sort of skin cancer.

Despite the fact that malignant melanoma is rare, considering that it is the most hazardous, it is worthwhile having a brief look at precisely what it is. This particular kind of cancer is responsible for approximately 1% of cancers and is a tumor in the cells which create melanin and which are known as melancytes. Melanin is the pigment which produces your sun tan and which gives your skin the color it has usually. It is additionally the agent that accounts for the color of your hair and eyes which means that malignant melanoma can also affect the eyes and not just the skin. (more…)

Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, affecting millions of people yearly. Like many cancers, however, it comes in multiple varieties. Of the three primary skin cancers-basal-cell carcinoma, squamous-cell carcinoma, and melanoma-only melanoma is typically lethal. Knowing what type of skin cancer is crucial both for treatment and for paying for your medical bills.

The most common skin cancer is also the least deadly: basal-cell carcinoma. It rarely spreads or causes serious health issues, but doctors remove it to be on the safe side. The removal procedure is far less complex and expensive than treatment for serious cancers. If you have insurance, your insurance will likely cover the treatment. If you do not, and if you are eligible for health or retirement benefits from Social Security, you may be able to receive help for your medical expenses. (more…)

More than 60,000 American women are diagnosed with DCIS annually. For those unfamiliar with the term, and I was too until I was diagnosed with it in 1999, DCIS stands for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, which is a growth of malignant cells inside the milk ducts of the breast. Some doctors call it a pre-cancer, while others say that it’s the earliest stage of cancer.

I don’t know for sure, but I imagine if you’re reading this article you personally or someone in your life has been diagnosed with DCIS and you’re wondering what kind of treatment is best, given that it’s labeled a pre-cancer or early stage cancer. Should you choose treatment that is as aggressive as that prescribed for aggressive cancers, or people with large tumors?

As I am not an oncologist, but a 10-year cancer survivor, I am not in a position to give you any advice. But your questions are ones the medical profession has been asking itself lately as well. Susan Reed, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center recently served on an expert panel on DCIS in September, 2009 at the National Institutes of Health. Reed was quoted as saying that the medical profession is asking women to make decisions that are crucial to their lives, without a lot of hard evidence. (more…)

If I had been diagnosed with your cancer 20 years ago I would have accepted any treatment recommended by my doctors because after all they are the experts. However today that is not so and that’s because of one simple reason, knowledge. The study of cancer has taught me many facts which of course I was ignorant of back then. I have learnt why we only have those 3 treatments of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, I have learnt of the ineffectiveness of those 3 treatments, I have learnt who controls the cancer industry and I have learnt there are other, better ways to overcome all cancers.

Now days being 20 years wiser if I was diagnosed with cancer I would apply a little common sense and ask myself a few questions, for instance why did I get cancer in the first place and if I get it surgically removed what’s going to stop it from growing back again since surgery doesn’t address that. Also does it make any sense to use nuclear radiation to burn it out or a poison as in chemotherapy to try and remove it which also won’t stop it coming back. People today accept those treatments because they believe they are the only ways to cure cancer.

One of the first facts I learnt about cancer is, when it is first diagnosed it is in its primary state and nobody ever dies from primary cancer. It’s secondary cancer, cancer that has shifted to another location that kills, so as long as it doesn’t spread I’m not going to die. To make sure my cancer doesn’t spread means addressing the root cause or the prime reason why it first appeared and not just remove the problem which is the unwanted growths and that’s all our orthodox medical system is doing. (more…)

Overview

When a group of cells display uninhibited growth, which refers to division beyond the normal limits, this phenomenon is commonly referred to as cancer. Other characteristics include an attack and destruction of surrounding tissues, and the spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood, which is known as metastasis.

These malignant, which refers to a severe and progressively worsening disease, properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited and do not invade or metastasise.

A tumor refers to a swelling or lesion formed by an unusually high growth of cells and occurs with most cancers. However, some, like leukemia, do not produce tumors.

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