Image via Wikipedia

We hear about cancer almost every day on TV or read about it in the newspapers, magazines and on the internet. Even though the public seems to be well informed, there are numerous cancer myths that continue to float around. Many people believe in them, but the truth is totally different. Here are some myths about cancer.

Deodorants and antiperspirants cause cancer. There have been various articles, primarily on the internet, discussing the presence of carcinogenic chemical compounds in these cosmetic products. However, studies carried out by various institutes, including the FDA in the US, have not found any evidence of link between these product and cancer.

Artificial sweeteners cause cancer. This is another one of the huge cancer myths. It has occurred because back in 1969 the FDA banned a sweetener called cyclamate due to research evidence that it can be potentially dangerous. Despite this, further studies showed that there is no link between this sweetener and the condition. In addition, modern day sweeteners have been tested specifically by the FDA and no link between them and cancer has been found.

Cell phones cause cancer and brain cancer in particular. Despite all the talk about the danger of using cell phones, there is no evidence that links their use to the development of both benign and malignant tumors in any part of the body.

The diagnosis is a death sentence. This is one of the worst cancer myths. Firstly, treatment is available for all types of cancer. Furthermore, when the condition is diagnosed in the early stages of development, it can be cured without consequences. Additionally, some types of cancer, such as bladder and prostate cancer are usually diagnosed early and treated effectively. Another fact that should be pointed out is that for many types of cancer the death rate is around 50%.

You can get it from someone else. None of the known types of cancer is contagious. However, there are certain infections that can be passed from one person to another and that can increase the risk of cancer. The most notable ones are hepatitis C, which may lead to liver cancer, and HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer.

Positive thinking can cure the illness. There are various spiritual techniques for coping with an illness and staying positive. However, there is no scientific evidence of any kind that shows positive thinking can kill cancer cells. Despite the popular folklore stories and the promises of "healers", traditional medical treatment is the best option at present.

Technorati Tags: cancer myths

Malignant brain tumors occur in about 4.5 people per 100,000 population, they may occur at any age but brain cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in patients younger than age 35. In adults, incidence is generally highest between ages 40 to 60.

There are two main types of brain cancer. Primary brain cancer starts in the brain. Metastatic brain cancer starts somewhere else in the body and moves to the brain. The most common tumor types in adults are gliomas and meningiomas. In children, incidence is generally highest before age 1 and again between ages 2 and 12. The most common types of brain tumour in children are astrocytomas, medulloblastomas, ependymomas and brain stem gliomas.

CAUSES OF BRAIN CANCER

What causes brain cancer is not exactly known but there has recently been a great deal of speculation on the role of cell phone radiation in the development of brain cancer. In fact, while studies generally have shown no link between cell phones and brain cancer, there is some conflicting scientific evidence that may be worth additional study, according to the FDA.

More accepted risk factors for brain cancer include; exposure to vinyl chloride and individuals with risk factors such as having a job in an oil refinery, as a chemist, embalmer, or rubber industry worker show higher rates of brain cancer. Other risk factors such as smoking, radiation exposure, and viral infection (HIV) have been suggested but not proven to cause brain cancer. Patients with a history of melanoma, lung, breast, colon, or kidney cancer are at risk for secondary brain cancer.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF BRAIN CANCER

Onset of symptoms is usually insidious and brain tumors are often misdiagnosed. Brain Cancers cause central nervous system changes by invading and destroying tissues and by secondary effects such as pressure on the brain. Symptoms vary but in general, brain cancer symptoms include: Abnormal pulse and breathing rates, deep, dull headaches that recur often and persist without relief for long periods of time, difficulty walking or speaking, dizziness, eyesight problems including double vision, seizures, vomiting and at the late stages of the disorder dramatic changes in blood pressure may occur. Although headaches are often a symptom of brain cancer, it is important to remember that most headaches are due to less serious conditions such as migraine or tension, not cancer.

DIAGNOSIS OF BRAIN CANCERS

In most cases a definitive diagnosis is made by a tissue biopsy. Other diagnostic tools include; patient history, a neurologic assessment, skull x-rays, a brain scan, CT scan, MRI, a lumbar puncture and cerebral angiography. Meningiomas, arising from the covering around the brain or spinal cord, account for about 20% of brain cancers and are generally more benign.

TREATMENT OF BRAIN TUMORS

How to treat brain tumors depends on the age of the patient, the stage of the disease, the type and location of the tumor, and whether the cancer is a primary tumor or brain metastases. Brain cancer and brain tumors are somewhat unique because of the blood

brain barrier, which severely restricts the types of substances in the bloodstream that are allowed by the body into the brain and makes drug treatment extremely difficult. Because of this more and more research is being undertaken in delivering medication by means of nanoparticles, amongst the properties of nanoparticles that make them ideal candidates for recognizing and treating brain cancer, their ability to deliver a wide variety of payloads across the blood-brain barrier is perhaps the most important.

Brain cancers location and ability to spread quickly makes treatment with surgery or radiation like fighting an enemy hiding out among minefields and caves, and explains why the term brain cancer is all too often associated with the word inoperable.

Brain cancer survival statistics for the deadliest of tumors such as gliomas have not improved significantly over the past two decades and the clinical armamentarium is, to a large extent, still dependent on surgery and radiation therapy, treatments known to leave survivors with devastating cognitive deficits. Gamma knife surgery is a radiosurgery technique used to treat people with brain cancer and other neurological disorders

The most deadly form of brain cancer may be treatable with a vaccine that uses proteins. Unlike measles or mumps vaccines, which are meant to prevent disease, the brain cancer vaccine turns on the patient’s own immune system so it will help kill the tumor. When the vaccine is injected, it stimulates the immune system to kill off brain cancer cells and prevent the regrowth of tumors that have already been treated.

PROGNOSIS

The chances of surviving for a person with a brain tumor: Prognosis greatly depends on all of the following: type of tumor extent of the disease size and location of the tumor presence or absence of metastasis the tumor’s response to therapy, age, overall health, and medical history, tolerance of specific medications, procedures, or therapies. Metastatic brain cancer indicates advanced disease and has a poor prognosis. Unfortunately, the most common form of primary brain cancer, glioblastoma, is also the most aggressive and lethal but teratomas and other germ cell tumors although they have the capacity to grow very large may have a more favorable prognosis.

More Brain Cancer Articles

Technorati Tags: about, brain, cancer, know, need

However most types of cancers can be beaten, if you catch it up soon enough, and even if you don’t there are new treatments coming out by the minute everyday that will help you fight and successfully beat cancer. There are however some types of cancers that are more complex in nature than others, brain cancer is the one we’re speaking of and the one we will be focusing on.

Two types of known brain cancer exist, namely: Primary brain cancer (these generally initiate in the brain), Primary brain cancer almost never moves to any other part of the body, so death is brought on by uncontrollable tumor growth within the brain cavity. Then you get metastatic brain cancer or otherwise known as secondary brain cancer (this type of cancer originates in other parts of the body and get transported or should we say it migrates to the brain thus causing the person to circum to secondary brain cancer.

Types of brain cancer

As most other types of cancer, brain cancer is also classified as primary brain cancer and secondary brain cancer. Primary brain cancer is the one that originates from the brain itself i.e. that originates in the brain cells. Secondary brain cancers is the one that doesn’t originate from the brain cells but is instead passed on from another organ/ part of the body

Causes of brain cancer

As is the case with many other types of cancer, the causes of brain cancer is a big topic for researchers. However, certain genetic conditions and exposure of head to radiation (as received during radiotherapy as part of treatment of other conditions) are known to be causes of cancer. There are a number of other theories that keep coming up time and again, each suggesting different possible causes of brain tumor (one famous one is about mobile phones causing brain cancer). However, there really isn’t a very convincing theory about what causes brain cancer.

Symptoms of Brain Cancer

Brain tumors can damage vital neurological pathways and invade and compress brain tissue. Symptoms usually develop over time and their characteristics depend on the location and size of the tumor.

Cancers are typically painless at first. As they grow, the first symptom is often a mild discomfort, which may steadily worsen into increasingly severe pain as the cancer enlarges. The pain may result from the cancer compressing or eroding into nerves or other structures.

The symptoms are caused by the tumor pressing on or encroaching on other parts of your brain and keeping them from functioning normally.

A sign is also an indication that something is not right in the body. But signs are defined as things that can be seen by a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional. Fever, rapid breathing rate, and abnormal breathing sounds heard through a stethoscope may be signs of pneumonia.

As the skull is made of bone, there is a fixed amount of space for the brain to take up. The growing tumor increases the pressure inside this fixed space. This is called ‘raised intracranial pressure’.

Herbal treatment for Brain Cancer

If you suspect you have a brain tumor, see a physician immediately. A CAT scan or MRI of the head can usually confirm the presence of a tumor and pinpoint its location. If a tumor is found, the physician may take a CAT scan of the chest and abdomen to make sure the cancer has not affected other areas of the body. If the tumor is localized and is situated in an area where removal is possible (on the outer surface of the brain, for example), surgery may be performed. However, some tumors-particularly those located deep within the brain tissue-cannot be operated on. In these cases, radiation and chemotherapy will be used to destroy cancerous cells. (See “Conventional Medical Treatment” in the “Bladder Cancer” entry for more information on radiation and chemotherapy.)

Related Brain Cancer Articles

Technorati Tags: brain, cancer, symptoms

Breast cancer awareness is a crucial issue for women’s health today. Few other serious diseases are so prevalent among women, and few of them are so preventable. Breast Cancer Insight, an informational website and seller of informational e-books, contains a wealth of information on breast cancer: from its causes, to its prevention, to its treatment.

Breast Cancer Insight was created by Dr. Jerry Lang, a medical professional with expert knowledge of breast cancer. Dr. Lang and his colleagues at Breast Cancer Insight started their website because of a shared determination to raise breast cancer awareness among the general populace.

Breast cancer awareness is generally lacking in the broader culture, and this is a major public health issue for women. Though the disease is frequently treatable if detected early, many women still delay needed mammograms, despite decades of persistent urging to the contrary by the media and various federal, state, and local breast cancer awareness organizations. Breast Cancer Insight adds a valuable dose of expert knowledge to the ongoing discussion of breast cancer awareness, breast cancer detection, and breast cancer treatment.

Breast Cancer Insight provides a wide range of breast cancer research materials, all of them vetted by experts in the field. Visitors to the site can read about symptoms of the disease, which include lumps in the breast, and swelling. They can also learn about the disease’s treatment, which generally includes some form of chemotherapy, combined with surgery. Breast Cancer Insight also sells an e-book, entitled “Breast Cancer Surgery – An Overview,” which contains a comprehensive discussion of what patients can expect from typical breast cancer surgery.

Breast Cancer Insight also tackles the problem of breast cancer awareness from the angle of research. Every day, researchers make important new discoveries that relate to breast cancer, but since ordinary people usually find it difficult to keep up with cutting-edge scientific literature, they often remain unaware of these important developments. Breast Cancer Insight keeps abreast of these research developments and summarizes them in easy to read language, to ensure total breast cancer awareness even among those without expert medical knowledge.

Another very important aspect of breast cancer awareness is knowledge of prevention strategies, and here, too, Breast Cancer Insight is active. The site contains a section devoted to explaining, in plain language the many ways of preventing the onset of breast cancer through knowledge of risk factors, proper diet, and so on.

Breast Cancer Insight also offers information on breast cancer support groups, which are a critical component of breast cancer awareness. Anyone who has received a breast cancer diagnosis is bound to be confused and overwhelmed, and the support of a likeminded group can positively affect treatment outcomes.

Breast Cancer Insight also raises breast cancer awareness by enabling visitors to contact the site’s creators directly. This is a great way to get answers to crucial breast cancer questions.

Breast Cancer Insight is a provider of breast cancer information, to promote breast cancer awareness. They also sell e-books with information relating to breast cancer treatment. For more information, visit BreastCancerInsight.

Technorati Tags: Awareness, breast, cancer, Expert, Insight, Knowledge, Promoting

Did you know, that in the United States alone, it is estimated that more than twenty eight thousand men die from prostrate cancer yearly? However, thanks to early detection, most men that are diagnosed with this type malignancy have a survival rate of almost ninety eight percent. The tips in this article may help increase the survival odds for you.

Although prostrate cancer can occur in men under the age of fifty it is extremely rare. When it does occur under age 50 some doctors feel it may be related to DNA genes from the family or an abnormal problem with the testosterone hormone. Just because it is a rare occurrence in men under 50, this doesn’t mean that you can’t start preparing yourself to fight off prostrate illness early in your life.

One of the most important steps you can take to help prevent cancer, prostrate or otherwise, is to do your best to have a healthy lifestyle. One of the major lifestyle changes you can do is to stop smoking, if you smoke. Recent studies have not found a direct link from smoking to prostrate cancer; but it is believed it can have adverse affect on the DNA of the malignant growth causing it to spread more rapidly through the prostrate and into other parts of the body. (Journal of Urology (Vol. 169: 512-516).

Not only can smoking speed up the spread of cancer cells throughout your body it also causes major damage to your entire respiratory system. This can lead to problems with your immune system, which is a major contributor for preventing any disease, much less cancer.

Other studies have shown that a healthy diet can also decrease the odds of the early on set of cancer of the prostrate and its severity. Those diets, which are high in fiber and the natural vitamins required by your body, have been shown to be very helpful. Furthermore your natural defenses are increased with this type of diet.

When you are discussing dieting you are invariably led to the subject of exercise. Some of the other studies have shown that a sedate life style leads to a lowering of the body’s natural defense system. Exercise has been shown to help the immune system to work at top proficiency. So not only will you help your prostrate, but again lower the odds of contracting other life threatening diseases. This in turn brings us to one more tip that may be helpful for you.

Early detection is the absolute key to increasing the survival rate for cancer victims, prostrate or otherwise. One of the recommendations being touted is to have the first PSA sample taken around age 40. However, there is a good deal of controversy over this recommendation. Thos against it have stated that it will be too early to show any results. While those for it have said it will give a record for comparison as the person ages.

Now we need to give you another tip. No matter which camp your doctor is in it is important for you to discuss your concerns with your physician. The tips provided in this article on prostrate cancer are for information purposes only. They should not be taken as nor considered as medical advice.

Although prostrate cancer can be a life threatening disease, with the proper medical treatment and lifestyle changes, the chances of prostrate cancer being the actual cause of your death are small.

More Prostrate Cancer Articles

Technorati Tags: about, cancer, Preventing, prostrate, tips