i have what looks like a mole on my back it has changed somewhat in size however i have a lot of pain in the area around it and what seems like a mass i’m worried how do i know if its cancer? what are some other symptoms?

The site below has photos and signs and symptoms of the major types of skin cancer. There is basal cell, squamous cell and the worst is melanoma. Personally I try and get anything I think is suspicious checked by my doctor as soon as possible. I think you already are aware that if there is a change to an existing mole that it is time to have it checked by a doctor. Please have a good look at the pictures below and what is said about them and even if you are not sure, just get it checked.
RN

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1. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer, and accounts for 9% of cancer-related deaths in men. The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2008, about 186,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. 30% of prostate cancers occur in men under age 65. About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only 1 man in 35 will die of it. More than 2 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.

2. Different prostate problems sometimes have similar symptoms. For example, one man with prostatitis and another with BPH may both have a frequent, urgent need to urinate. A man with BPH may have trouble beginning a stream of urine; another may have to urinate frequently at night. Or, a man in the early stages of prostate cancer may have no symptoms at all.

3. One prostate problem does not lead to another. For example, having prostatitis or an enlarged prostate does not increase the chance for prostate cancer. It is true that some men with prostate cancer also have BPH, but the two conditions are not automatically linked. Most men with BPH do not develop prostate cancer. But because the early symptoms for both conditions could be the same, a doctor would need to evaluate them. It is also possible to have more than one condition at a time. This confusing array of potential scenarios makes a case for all men, especially after age 45, to have a thorough medical exam that includes the PSA test and DRE every year.

4. The PSA blood test determines whether you have cancer of the prostate. The test measures how much of a protein essential to human reproduction, PSA (prostate-specific antigen), is in your blood. PSA turns your gelatinous pre-semen into a liquid, thus supporting ejaculation. If your PSA is below 4, most doctors agree that you needn’t be tested again for a year. During annual tests, remember that it is normal for your reading to go up by a few tenths of a point every year. In general, only a drastic increase in PSA (an increase of at least 0.75 points or 20 percent) is considered a reason to worry. This test is recommended on an annual basis for all men over 50 (and for men above 45 if there is a family history of prostate problems)

5. Over 100 million men in the world suffer from symptoms of BPH (Prostate Enlargement). By the time you are 60, there is a 50% chance that you’ll have BPH. By the time you are 85, there is a 90% probability that you’ll have BPH.

6. Prostate Cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer during their lifetime

To check your International Prostate Symptom SCore Visit

www.india-herbs.com/aff/securepage/ayurstate

jim
http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/prostate-cancer-myths-and-facts-737677.html

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My friend is a 27 yr old single parent who was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer. She was given a year about 5-6 months ago but is showing no sign of illness. She has maintained her weight, if not gained. Her skin and eyes are still bright and energetic. She seems happy and healthy by all accounts. What type of symptoms should we expect to see as her illness progresses and when should we expect to start seeing them?

"global trotter" has a good answer except we would not expect night sweats with this type of malignancy – assuming this really is an ovarian carcinoma.

Your friend is extremely young for an ovarian carcinoma.
How sure are you of the diagnosis?

Has she been on combination chemotherapy for these last 5-6 months?
I can’t believe they would give up on a 27 year old woman without trying all of the different chemotherapy regimens we have for ovarian carcinomas.

Where is the metastatic disease?
Liver? Lungs? Intraperitonal? Retroperitoneal lymph nodes?
If she does not have liver involvement, we would not expect to see the jaundice and liver failure that "globe trotter" describes.

What you describe is a person still in good health without weight loss and not appearing sick. It sure would help if we knew where her metastatic (stage IV) ovarian cancer is located. She must have had CT scans of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.

And it would help to know what treatment she has received.
Did she have optimal debulking surgery? What chemotherapy has been tried?

By the way, doctors do not "give" people set amounts of time to live.
I know what you mean, but that phrase always bothers me – as if doctors decided the fates of patients. When doctors are pushed to make predictions, we are usually wrong. No one knows the future for any one person. We only provided statistics based on many other people who have had similar situations. Yet each patient is different.

It does not sound like she is within 6 months of death from the description you provide.

If she allows it, you might go with her when she sees her medical oncologist. That way you can hear what is really going on from a medical professional who knows all the details of her case details we do not have here.

From http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/255771-overview
Ovarian carcinomas are uncommon in patients younger than 40 years.
Most cases are diagnosed in the 60 to 70 age group.

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1. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer, and accounts for 9% of cancer-related deaths in men. The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2008, about 186,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. 30% of prostate cancers occur in men under age 65. About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only 1 man in 35 will die of it. More than 2 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.

2. Different prostate problems sometimes have similar symptoms. For example, one man with prostatitis and another with BPH may both have a frequent, urgent need to urinate. A man with BPH may have trouble beginning a stream of urine; another may have to urinate frequently at night. Or, a man in the early stages of prostate cancer may have no symptoms at all.

3. One prostate problem does not lead to another. For example, having prostatitis or an enlarged prostate does not increase the chance for prostate cancer. It is true that some men with prostate cancer also have BPH, but the two conditions are not automatically linked. Most men with BPH do not develop prostate cancer. But because the early symptoms for both conditions could be the same, a doctor would need to evaluate them. It is also possible to have more than one condition at a time. This confusing array of potential scenarios makes a case for all men, especially after age 45, to have a thorough medical exam that includes the PSA test and DRE every year.

4. The PSA blood test determines whether you have cancer of the prostate. The test measures how much of a protein essential to human reproduction, PSA (prostate-specific antigen), is in your blood. PSA turns your gelatinous pre-semen into a liquid, thus supporting ejaculation. If your PSA is below 4, most doctors agree that you needn’t be tested again for a year. During annual tests, remember that it is normal for your reading to go up by a few tenths of a point every year. In general, only a drastic increase in PSA (an increase of at least 0.75 points or 20 percent) is considered a reason to worry. This test is recommended on an annual basis for all men over 50 (and for men above 45 if there is a family history of prostate problems)

5. Over 100 million men in the world suffer from symptoms of BPH (Prostate Enlargement). By the time you are 60, there is a 50% chance that you’ll have BPH. By the time you are 85, there is a 90% probability that you’ll have BPH.

6. Prostate Cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer during their lifetime

To check your International Prostate Symptom SCore Visit

www.india-herbs.com/aff/securepage/ayurstate

jim
http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/prostate-cancer-myths-and-facts-737677.html

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I am showing some symptoms for testicular cancer. I have booked an appointment with my GP next week. I was thinking, if it turns out it is cancer, what can they do for me considering they are notbased in a Hospital (just a health centre)? Would I not just be better going to A&E? Is your GP always your first stop for Health concerns like this? I am only young. Never had to see a doctor before hence my limited knowledge on the process.

First off well done for getting yourself checked out.

Your GP should be the first step as he/she will be able to get you a referral with a specialist(if you need one) and will be able to give you some idea of what the problem is. A & E isn’t really the place to go for something like that, unless it starts to hurt a lot.

Secondly it may not be cancer. It could just be a cyst or something else that’s totally harmless so don’t get worried until you know for sure. It could be nothing.

Also , you could try phoning the doctor again and getting the appointment moved forward. Just tell them you’ve found a lump and they’ll do this for you. It’s best to get it checked as soon as possible.

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