Cancer is a disease, a group of diseases that can cause a number of different symptoms. The symptoms of cancer will vary greatly depending on where the cancer is located, how large it is and how much of an impact it has on organs and tissues around it. When a cancer has metastasized, or spread, a person will notice symptoms in different parts of their body.

When cancer grows, it can begin to effect organs, blood vessels and nerves that are close by. The pressure that the cancer mass is applying to these organs and tissues can illicit different symptoms of cancer. If the cancer is located in a vital area, such as the brain or lungs, the smallest of tumors can be an early symptom of cancer.

There are also times when a cancer will begin in a place that will not cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown very large. Pancreatic cancers typically do not grow large enough for a physician or the individual to palpate them from the outside of the body. There are other pancreatic cancers that will not cause any symptoms of cancer until they grow around the nearby nerves. This will then cause a person to experience unexplained back pain.

There are other symptoms of cancer that are similar to the flu. A fever, fatigue and/or weight loss can also be signs of a cancer. These symptoms are due to the fact that cancer cells tend to use up a lot of the body’s energy supply and they can release substances into the body that change the way the body converts food to energy. It is also possible for the cancer to impact the immune system and that is why a person would experience these symptoms.

Substances that are released by some cancer cells can also cause a person to experience symptoms that are not typically related to a cancer. There are some cancers of the pancreas that release substances that can cause a person to develop blood clots in the legs. There are lung cancers that release a hormone like substance that increases the calcium levels in the blood. This will impact the muscles and the nerves which can make the individual feel dizzy and weak.

Treatment of cancer is most successful when cancer is found as soon as possible. The earlier cancer is detected the greater the chance of survival and the less likely it is to metastasize. This can also mean that there are more options for treatment and possibility of cure is possible if the cancer can be removed via surgery. Once such cancer is Melanoma, which is a type of skin cancer.

There are times that people tend to ignore symptoms of cancer, because they do not realize what it is. They may also ignore symptoms of cancer because they are afraid of what the symptoms mean. There are some symptoms of cancer that can also be caused by other ailments. Fatigue, for example, can be caused by numerous conditions including lack of sleep. With that being said, it is important that a person know what the symptoms of cancer are.

Here you will find the general symptoms of cancer. Understand that having one or more of these symptoms does not mean that you have cancer. As many of these symptoms can be caused by a variety of conditions, but if you have any of these symptoms and you have had them for a while or if they are getting worse, you need to call your medical professional.

Fever

This is a very common symptom, and it is very common with cancer. A fever generally means that the cancer has spread from where it started. The majority of cancer patients will have a fever at some point. If the cancer has affected the immune system, you will have a fever. Fever can be a very early sign of blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia.

Weight Loss

Unexplained weight loss of 10 pounds or more can be one of the very first signs of cancer. The majority of cancer patients will lose weight at some point. Weight loss is most often an early symptom of cancers of the lung, stomach, pancreas and esophagus.

Pain

In bone cancers and testicular cancer, pain can be a very early symptom. A headache that does not respond to treatment of that will not go away can be a sign of brain tumor. Pain the back can also be a symptom of cancer of the ovary, rectum or colon. Typically pain is felt when the cancer has spread from its point of origin.

Fatigue

Extreme tiredness that does not go away with rest can be an early sign of cancer. This can be an important symptom as the cancer gets bigger. Fatigue may happen early as in blood cancers if the cancer is causing a loss of blood. It can also be a symptom of stomach and colon cancers.

Changes in the Skin

Skin cancers are not the only cancers that cause changes in the skin. Areas of darker skin, yellowing of the skin and eyes, reddening of the skin, itching or excessive hair growth can all be symptoms of cancer.

There are also symptoms that specific to certain cancers. It is recommended that you keep an eye on these symptoms as well as the general symptoms listed above. If you notice any of these symptoms you should call your medical professional right away. While they can be caused by other conditions, it is advisable that you have them checked.

Bowel and Bladder Habits and Function

Constipation, change in size of stool or diarrhea can all be symptoms of cancer of the colon. Pain with urination, blood in the urine or a change in the frequency of urination can be symptoms of prostate or bladder cancers.

Sores

If you have sores that are not healing or that are bleeding, these could be a symptom of skin cancer. Sores in the mouth can be indicative of oral cancer. Sores on the vagina or penis can also be early signs of cancer.

Leukoplakia

This a precancerous area, generally indicated by white patches which are caused by constant irritation.

If you notice a symptom that you find questionable, or have one that does not go away or gets worse it is advisable that you consult your medical professional as soon as possible.

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lung cancer

lung cancer survivability

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People who have been newly diagnosed as having lung cancer will need facts about it as fast as practical. The specifics about lung cancer, concerning its prevention are of small result to them now. What are the probabilities of survival? What are the treatments? How effective are they? These are the questions they’re going to put to their doctors and will definitely get the the particulars about lung cancer from them. For their family and buddies, once they’ve been informed, these facts are also of doubt, but out of a sensitivity to this cancer’s victim, they won’t ask the victim immediately. They will come to the net to get the answers. Hence let’s take a look at some of the direct facts about lung cancer. The answers will help you adapt to your relative or friend’s condition and help you take on a suitably compassionate approach. Lung cancer is among the most troublesome cancers to see.

Your lungs have no agony nerves. You can’t typically tell if you have lung cancer till the major symptoms appear, the principal one being the coughing up of blood. X-rays of lungs may show a spot that doesn’t seem to be carcenogenic, only to become so later. Because it’s so hard to notice, the carcinoma has enough time to grow, customarily to a point that, when it is evident, it is too late. This implies that your relative or buddy is in a condition of shock when they learn that they’ve been stricken. The shock is to their entire psyche. Their doctor has told them, dependent on the cancer’s stage, that they have got a little time left.

Be susceptible to this shock. The way in which it is manifested varies from person to person. Your best first reply is to inform them you are sorry to hear about it. Don’t hesitate to show your own grief. To understand that you’re as disappointed as they’re will turn out to be a comfort. Let your relative or chum be the one to tell you what their doctor forecasts. Life outlook is dependent on the cancer’s stage of development. Facts about lung cancer survivability are rather cold. Definitely , some survive and go on to live for a number of years ; in unusual cases, full remission has taken place. Sadly , the stage of progression of the carcinoma after diagnosis is bleak. Normally lung cancer patients receiving chemo may see 4.8 months without progression of the carcinoma, but mostly, the tumor moves forward and the patient may survive for just a total of 10.3 months after diagnosis. As new drugs become available, facts about lung cancer survivability are changing on a scheduled basis. In 2008 the drug Erbitux was tested and found to enhance survivability from 10.1 months to 11.3, a 5 % increase. The chance of surviving for a year or even more so grew from 42 to 47 p.c. Even at the time of this writing, new drugs are being developed. Facts about lung cancer treatment relate to one side results of chemotherapy. Loss of hair is the most evident. Your relative or chum will appear malnutritioned and will have dermatitis.

Whatever you observe, do so with compassion. Be delicate. Be loving.

If at all possible leave your friend or relative with a grin, a medication that usually calms.

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brain cancer

careless radiation testing

It started when my brother-in-law, who is kind of fond of the drink, fell down heavily at home one day when a stroke hit him. It was a minor stroke that he recovered from with a week in hospital; but to be on the safe side, the doctors recommended a kind of radiation test that they said would help them identify the exact spot the blockage existed in that had caused the blood flow problem in his brain. The radiation test was to be a procedure called the CT brain perfusion scan; it was kind of scary to hear about – it was to beam the equivalent of hundreds of x-rays worth of radiation into his brain. We might have suspected that this would cause problems later on, but all the high-tech wizardry we were surrounded by kind of helped calm our fears. And then it started – there was the perfect circle of hair that just dropped out of his head one day soon.

When we brought it up with the doctor, he didn’t say that he believed that there was something wrong with the procedure; he wondered if my brother-in-law had started combing his hair in the wrong direction. This was kind of like the way Toyota likes to blame the out-of-control acceleration in their cars on drivers getting their pedals mixed up. We began to read up, and then came this breaking story in the New York Times that really was a wake-up call. That CT brain scan was what was behind it all the time. Those machines (made by GE, Toshiba and others) didn’t have the software set up so that they would be easy for the technicians to use; the companies didn’t train the lab technicians properly, and my brother-in-law had ended up getting 10 times the radiation he should have. And there are so many people this is happening to that there’s actually a class action lawsuit being planned.

What exactly happens then when this machine zaps your brain? The most visible thing that happens right away is that you lose your hair for a few weeks. But there are more serious things that go on within. Brain cancer and memory loss happen to be real possibilities. The problem here is that there is so much going on on the cutting-edge science of radiation therapy that there has been not enough time to discover everything that can go wrong, and to establish training procedures that will help lab technicians learn their skills properly before they zap anyone into orbit. There actually is no legal limit to how much radiation they can give you either.

While they suspect that brain cancer could be a strong possibility, there hasn’t been enough time that has elapsed that they could actually find out how serious things can be. Perhaps the problem is that we’ve come to depend on safety features built into everything we use. If you don’t close the door of your microwave properly, it’s not going to work; if you don’t close the door of your car properly, it’s going to warn you repeatedly. Technicians who work these machines easily use the automated features provided, assuming that they’ve been designed to be idiot proof – to warn them when they are about to zap someone into getting brain cancer. They forget that idiot-proofing is just a consumer innovation. Professional equipment doesn’t come with these features, because they assume that technicians know what they are doing. If it’s at all comforting to hear this, a few high-ranking hospital staff at hospitals around the country have suffered the same effects. It just goes to show how light the veneer of the safety is that we take for granted.

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The prostate gland is located just beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. Although one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, only one man in 34 will die of the disease. About 80 percent of men who reach the age of 80 will have prostate cancer.

Most men younger than 40 are rarely ever diagnosed with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is normally a very slow growth cancer that can take many years before it becomes deadly. The most common cancer in American men, that is excluding skin cancer, is prostate cancer.

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease are bone pain or tenderness, and abdominal pain. One of the most common symptoms is the inability to urinate. There are several other symptoms that may not be mentioned here.

Because prostate cancer symptoms can mimic other diseases or disorders, men who experience any of these symptoms should undergo a thorough work-up to determine the underlying cause of the symptoms. Blood in the urine or semen and frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs are often symptoms of cancer. One prostate cancer symptom is difficulty starting urination or holding back urine.

Your doctor may use either one or two of the most common tests for prostate cancer detection. One downside to PSA testing is that health care providers are detecting and treating some very early-stage prostate cancers that may never have caused the patient any harm. There are several potential downsides to PSA testing; for example a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer.

A chest x-ray may be done to see if there is a spread of cancer. Urine or prostatic fluid cytology may reveal unusual cells. There is a newer test called AMACR that is more sensitive than the PSA test for determining the presence of prostate cancer.

Medications can have many side effects, including hot flashes and loss of sexual desire. Some drugs with numerous side effects are being used to treat advanced prostate cancer, blocking the production of testosterone, called chemical castration; it has the same result as surgical removal of the testes. An oncology specialist will usually recommend treating with a single drug or a combination of drugs.

Other medications used for hormonal therapy, with side effects, include androgen-blocking agents, which prevent testosterone from attaching to prostate cells. In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor. Thoroughly discuss your treatment options and concerns with your doctor and other health professionals; it never hurts to get a second or even third opinion or more if necessary.

Prostate cancer that has metastasized may be treated conventionally with drugs to reduce testosterone levels, surgery to remove the testes, chemotherapy or nothing at all. The approaches to treatment include: ever watchful waiting to see whether the cancer is growing slowly and not causing any symptoms. Many men simply want the best treatment they can get but what’s important is picking the best treatment for you.

Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy can interfere with libido on a temporary or permanent basis. Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has spread. Surgery is usually only recommended after thorough evaluation and discussion of all available treatment options.

What you can do now is begin to understand what exactly your treatment options are and where you’re going to begin. In patients whose health makes the risk of surgery unacceptably high, radiation therapy is often the chosen conventional alternative.

As new research comes out adjust your treatment your options accordingly. Just about all men with prostate cancer survive at least five years after their initial diagnosis, 93% survive at least 10 years, and 67% survive more than 15 years. In the end, only you with the help of your doctors, knowing your individual situation, can determine the best treatment program for you.

Helen Hecker
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/prostate-cancer-your-quick-guide-124036.html

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Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer that is directly linked to asbestos exposure. By the time this cancer is diagnosed the disease is usually well advanced. Signs and symptoms may not appear until 20 to 60 years after being exposed to asbestos. If diagnosed with mesothelioma, it is imperative to become informed about the different forms of mesothelioma treatment due to the aggressive form of this disease.

Mesothelioma attacks the mesothelium or the protective lining that covers and protects many of the body’s internal organs. One form of this deadly cancer is peritoneal mesothelioma. It invades the peritoneum or the membranous lining that houses the stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas and intestines.

Peritoneal mesothelioma accounts for less than a quarter of all Mesothelioma cases. It is the second most common form of mesothelioma after pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include, but are not limited to, abdominal pain, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal swelling and bowel obstruction.

In order for proper mesothelioma treatment to begin, several factors must first be taken into consideration. Details such as the extent of the cancer, the patient’s overall health, past medical history and age, should be evaluated. These details need to be taken into account to determine the best mesothelioma treatment for an individual diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma.

The most common forms of treatment for an individual diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and palliative therapies. Surgery may be performed to remove part of the lining and tissue from the abdomen, depending on the advancement of the cancer and the size and location of the tumor(s).

Another form of mesothelioma treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma is radiation therapy. Immense energy x-rays are used for the purpose of shrinking tumors. Radiation can be administered either externally or internally. Externally, a machine is placed outside the body to emit radiation to the source of the cancer. A source of radiation can also be internally placed on the affected area in the hope of destroying cancerous tissue.

Chemotherapy is another type of mesothelioma treatment used to combat Peritoneal mesothelioma. This type of treatment uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. These can be given either in tablet form or intravenously. The chemotherapy drugs enter the blood stream and kill off cancerous cells as it makes its way through the body.

Palliative therapy is also used as a form of mesothelioma treatment. Ascites, or fluid accumulation, often takes place in the abdomen when an individual suffers from peritoneal mesothelioma. To relieve pressure and to make the patient more comfortable fluid is extracted by use of needles and suction.

Once your diagnosis is confirmed and you have begun treatment, it is imperative that you seek the advice of an attorney who specializes in asbestos-related illness. If a past employer negligently exposed you to asbestos, you are most likely to be entitled to a monetary award to cover your medical bills, your pain and suffering, and even punitive damages against a negligent employer. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a very difficult cancer to treat; you can rely on your attorney to act in your best interests.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a deadly cancer that is attributed to asbestos exposure. If diagnosed, it is imperative to be informed of all treatment options. As more research is performed in the area of mesothelioma treatment, other ways to combat this deadly disease will become available.

Nick Johnson
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/treatment-options-for-peritoneal-mesothelioma-98733.html

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