Thyroid cancer is not a common disease, can occur to anyone and even though it requires an adequate treatment, unlike other types of cancer thr thyroid one can be cured most of the times. Although, thyroid cancers are more common in females, males tend to have a greater risk than females for cancer occurring.

Moreover, thyroid cancer includes many types of cancers, the most common types are papillary, follicular or mixed papillary and follicular forms and on the other hand, the less common types that affect the thyroid are medullary cancer, anaplastic cancer and lymphoma. In addition to this, unlike other types of thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer is a severe form which in many cases may involve other parts of the body, such as endocrine glands, pituitary, adrenal, pancreas and parathyroid glands, an involvement which is known as Multiple endocrine neoplastia syndrome. It is important to note that even though this thype of cancer is quite unusual to be transmitetted, patients with medullary cancer should ensure that family memebers will make some tests in order to be sure that they aren not in danger.

Furthermore, specialists have discovered that thyroid cancer can occur due to certain factors. For example, x-ray treatments that used to be very popular a few years ago and were used to treat certain affections such as acne, blood vessel tumors of the face, enlarged thymus, sore throat. chronic coughs and even excess facial hair are no longer performed due to their negative effect for the thyroid gland which tends to be very sensitive at radiations. Moreover, an important contributing factor for the occurence of thyroid cancer is the prolonged exposure to head and neck irradiation in childhood and even adulthood.

Treatments for thyroid cancers are various and depend on the stage and type of thyroid cancer of the patient. For instance a first step is the confirmation of a thyroid nodule is present and involves the usage of scanning and ultrasound procedures. Moreover a better procedure for diagnose the patient which is suspected of thyroid cancer is a fine needle aspiration biopsy. Even though many surgeons consider that it is enough to remove just the affected part of the thyroidgland, it has been considered that a whole removal of the gland may help more and also will prevent a possible recurrence of the cancer. Although a Thyroidectomy is an efficient preocedure, the risks that involves can be very severe (deficiency in calcium by the inadvertent removal of nearby parathyroid glands and in some cases the damaging of the vocal cord). Much more when the cancer tends to spread from the thyroid glands to lymph nodes nearby the neck, a surgery called neck dissection is necessary in order to remove the tumor.

For more information about thyroid symptoms or about thyroid cancer please visit this website http://www.thyroid-info-center.com/

Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/facts-and-treatments-regarding-thyroid-cancer-132195.html

Lignan, a fiber found in flax, is the latest hope in the treatment of cancer

Flax – the plant that gave grateful world the classic look of linen – hot research property nowadays. Prized for millennia as a source of seeds and cooking oil as well as cloth, the flax plant has also been long celebrated for its medicinal properties, especially in easing coughs. But the therapeutic potential of flax really took off in the late 20th century, when scientists found that flax seed is rich in alpha linolenic acid, an inflammation-alleviating omega-3 fatty acid.

The latest substance in the scientific spotlight: flax lignans. While many plant foods supply this unique type of fiber, flax seed is the richest possible source. Question is, what makes lignans so special?

Hormonal Shifts

Sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone affect a lot more than just libido and reproduction; if these powerful substances go out of balance, they can actually stimulate the overgrowth of breast or prostate tissue (which may lead to breast cancer or prostate cancer). Lignans act as phytoestrogens. When they are ingested, the body transforms them into a form that keeps hormones from over-stimulating cells, a process that helps support healthy cell growth. Lignans also interfere with enzymes that can promote cancer development and therefore may be helpful in the treatment of cancer.

Populations that eat lignan-rich diets have lower breast cancer rates, and early research suggests that increased lignan intake may help protect breast tissue through cancer prevention. In one study, women newly diagnosed with breast cancer who ate muffins made with 2 1/2 tablespoons of flaxseed every day experienced reduced tumor growth (Breast Cancer Research & Treatment 11/00) suggesting a role for flax in the treatment of cancer. This may explain why some women find relief from mild menopausal miseries after taking flax lignans.

Lignans are antioxidants, substances that can keep harmful free radicals from ping-ponging through tissues; scientists think that’s why flax lignans have shown an ability to lower cholesterol and act in cancer prevention. Flax also appears to have an ability to reduce stress; among post-menopausal women who ate three different flax diets, the ones who consumed more lignans experienced the biggest drop in both stress hormone levels and blood pressure (Journal of the American College of Nutrition 12/03).

FLAX FACTS

What is it?: A plant, I.inum usitatissimum, used for food, clothing and remedies

What it does: Flax seeds are high in an anti-inflammatory omega-3 fat called alpha linolenic acid; recent research has focused on flax lignan, a fiber that shows promise in the both the prevention and treatment of cancer, keep arteries clear and reduce prostate enlargement

Keeping Men Comfortable

While women certainly benefit from lignans, flax can be beneficial for men too. Prostate cells, like breast cells, can be kicked into overdrive by hormones which may result in prostate cancer. A pilot study at Duke University suggested that flax lignans, combined with a low-fat diet, may reduce cancer risk – yet another indication that flax may be useful in the treatment of cancer. The researchers gave finely ground flaxseed to 25 men with prostate cancer who were awaiting surgery; after a month, all had reduced hormone levels and their cholesterol levels were lowered as well. Tumor growth also slowed (L/ro/ogy7/01)

What’s more, flax’s testosterone-moderating effects appear to help reduce benign prostate hyperplasia an uncomfortable predicament that vexes many men as they age. Rats fed a lignan supplement had comfortably smaller prostates then other rodents, and men scheduled for repeat prostate biopsy who took supplemental flax experienced reduced rates of benign prostatic growth (Urology 05/04). Flax may even help reduce hairloss in men. DHT, the form of testosterone that can harm the prostate, attacks hair follicles and spurs excess oil production in the skin, increasing the chances of pimple formation. Flax lignans interfere with DHT production.

From the tiny flax seed mighty health benefits grow. Some forms of fiber really are special!

- Lisa Janet

Mitamins Team
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/flax-a-role-in-the-treatment-of-cancer-85846.html

Many men, especially those later in life have made the decision with their doctors to simply watch and wait. About 80 percent of men who reach the age of 80 have prostate cancer. It’s deadly but can be cured if it’s caught early enough.

Like other cancers, the cause of prostate cancer is not known; it appears to be more common in African American men and men with a family history of the disease. The prostate gland is located directly beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. The male hormone testosterone contributes to the growth of cancer.

Because the 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. Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease are bone pain or tenderness, and abdominal pain. There may be other symptoms not mentioned here.

Most prostate cancer symptoms, although associated with prostate cancer, are more likely to be connected to non-cancerous conditions. If cancer is caught at its earliest stages, most men will not experience any symptoms. One symptom is difficulty starting urination or holding back urine.

There are several potential downsides to PSA testing; for example a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer. CT scans may be done to see if the cancer has spread. What is called a free PSA may help tell the difference between BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy), an enlargement of the prostate gland, and prostate cancer.

A urinalysis may indicate if there is blood in the urine. A prostate biopsy usually confirms the diagnosis. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the PSA enzyme in your blood for abnormalities.

Recent improvements in surgical procedures have made complications occur less often. Medicines can be used to adjust the levels of testosterone; called hormonal manipulation. Surgery is usually only recommended after thorough evaluation and discussion of all available treatment options.

Prostate cancer that has spread (metastasized) may be treated conventionally with drugs to reduce testosterone levels, surgery to remove the testes, chemotherapy or nothing at all. 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. Side effects of chemotherapy drugs depend on which ones you’re taking and how often and how long they’re taken.

An oncology specialist will usually recommend treating with a single drug or a combination of drugs. Chemotherapy medications are often used to treat prostate cancers that are resistant to hormonal treatments. Anyone considering surgery should be aware of the benefits, risks and the extent of the procedure.

Other medications used for hormonal therapy, with side effects, include androgen-blocking agents, which prevent testosterone from attaching to prostate cells. What you can do now is begin to understand what exactly your treatment options are and where you’re going to begin. Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has spread.

In patients whose health makes the risk of surgery unacceptably high, radiation therapy is often the chosen conventional alternative. Whether radiation is as good as prostate removal is debatable and the decision about which to choose, if any, can be difficult.

Once diagnosed you may be want to join a support group whose members share their experiences and problems. As new research comes out adjust your treatment options accordingly. Consider articles such as this one, just a starting point where you can begin to learn about prostate cancer.

Helen Hecker
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/think-you-have-a-prostate-problem-or-prostate-cancer-137485.html

While you’ve got definitely heard of skin cancer, did you know that every one 3 types of skin cancer are on the increase? This includes squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and the foremost serious type of skin cancer – melanoma. The nice news is that almost all forms of skin cancer are preventable by avoiding sun exposure or other forms for ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It is also true that early detection can end in successful treatment of even the most aggressive types of skin cancers.

So what precisely causes skin cancer?

Skin cancer is most likely to make on elements of your body that have the foremost exposure to sun. The most vulnerable areas embody your face, lips, scalp, chest, neck, arms, hands and ladies’ s legs. You may be shocked to learn that skin cancer can additionally develop in areas of your body that are rarely (or never) exposed directly to sunlight. These areas embrace between your toes, under your toenails or fingernails, the palms of your hands, and also the genital area.

The chance of skin cancer is not limited simply to folks with light complexions. But when dark skinned individuals do develop melanoma, they are a lot of likely to expertise it in parts of the body not sometimes considered to be sun-exposed.

There’s also no standard time table for skin cancer to develop. Relying on the type of cancer, a skin lesion will develop slowly over many years or appear very suddenly.

Warning signs of skin cancer are sometimes visual. For basal cell carcinoma, you’ll notice a waxy bump on your face, neck or ears, or a flat brown scar-like lesion on your back or chest. Squamous cell carcinoma usually seems as a firm red nodule, or a flat scaly lesion, on the face, neck, ear, hands or arms.

Melonoma, which is the most deadly kind of skin cancer, can develop anywhere on the body – although it is found most frequently on the trunk, head or neck of men and also the arms or legs of women. Melanoma will appear as a giant brown spot with darker speckles, or a mole that suddenly changes color or size or bleeds. Melanoma can conjointly appears as a tiny lesion with an irregular border and blue, red, black or white spots. Shiny, firm dome-shaped bumps will also be a wake-up call of melanoma, plus dark lesions on the soles of the feet, palms of the hands, or on the mucous linings of the nose, mouth, anus or vagina.

While not all changes in your skin are cancerous, it is best to own your doctor examine any changes that you just notice. With early detection, most skin cancer can be treated. And with correct sun protection, most skin cancer will be avoided altogether. Checkout more other FREE information about ovarian cancer bracelets, ovarian cancer symptons and cryotherapy for prostate cancer

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My mom has a disease that might lead into cancer. I would really appreciate if someone helped me find out the main symptoms to look for just incase.

Unfortunately, there really aren’t any symptoms that are specific for cancer because it is a very large group of diseases that may affect different parts of the body and grow at different rates. In general, the most common group of symptoms is things like fever that doesn’t respond to antibiotics, night sweats, and unintentional weight loss without another obvious reason, but these things are also symptoms of many other diseases.