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 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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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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Usually, it is identified by performing the biopsy of the affected part of the body and that’s the prostrate gland. After that the PSA test is executed, which makes it clear that whether or not there’s prostrate most cancers or not. If the results of the check is irregular then the check is termed as constructive, which is a clear indication of the presence of prostrate cancer. The docs perform the biopsy of the prostrate gland trans-rectally. After the biopsy, the doubtless affected areas are put below ultrasound imaging.

A surgical needle is used to make a minimize in the gland and to take away a certain part of it. The parts are lower from the apex, base and mid area of the gland; however it’s not compulsory. A doctor can make a cut wherever he suppose the supply of most cancers is. As a means to improve the effectivity of the outcome, the medical doctors take numerous samples of various regions. The bigger a gland is the larger would be its variety of samples. The minimize a part of the gland is shipped to a pathologist, who examines the half below a microscope to see if there might be any sign of cancerous cells.

Once the presence of prostrate most cancers is confirmed by means of aforementioned methods, once more the pathologist examines each of the minimize pieces on a Gleason scale. The pathologists use this scale to determine the exact characteristics of the affected cells, which helps in assessing the overall aggressiveness of the cancer. As the Gleason scale is a sort of scale, it denotes the aggressiveness or severity in a particular score. This rating is the issue that additional decides the sort and level of the treatment that is required for proper curing.

A reasonable rating suggests that the patient has not a lot threat from the cancer and that it can be positively cured with correct treatments. However, a high score counsel that the cancer has not solely contaminated the lymph nodes but also has remodeled into the metastasis (secondary development). Due to this fact, a excessive rating is a transparent reduce indication of great risk from the condition.

A proper and early stage diagnosis wants reporting of the earliest signs by the patients. Some of the earliest symptoms could embody:

* Cough
* Sore throat
* Abnormal bladder/bowel habits
* Wounds that are not healing
* Some sort of lump in numerous elements of the physique, extra specifically, in the breast
* Indigestion
* Difficulty in swallowing
* Irregular bleeding or discharge Read more other FREE information about prostate cancer statistics, prostate cancer survival rate and what is prostate cancer

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http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/idc.jsp

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http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=545046

take care.

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General symptoms of lung cancer

The symptoms of lung cancer can be

* Having a cough most of the time
* A change in a cough you have had for a long time
* Being short of breath
* Coughing up phlegm (sputum) with signs of blood in it
* An ache or pain when breathing or coughing
* Loss of appetite
* Fatigue
* Losing weight

Less common symptoms of lung cancer

There are other symptoms of lung cancer that are less common. They are usually associated with more advanced lung cancer. You may have

* A hoarse voice
* Difficulty swallowing
* Swelling of the face caused by a blockage of a main blood vessel from the head (SVCO)
* Swelling in the neck caused by enlarged lymph nodes
* Pain or discomfort under your ribs on your right side (from the liver)
* Shortness of breath caused by fluid around the lungs (called pleural effusion)

WHAT CAUSES LUNG CANCER?

Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer may also be the most tragic cancer because in most cases, it might have been prevented — 87% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 different chemicals, many of which are proven cancer-causing substances, or carcinogens. Smoking cigars or pipes also increases the risk of lung cancer.

The more time and quantity you smoke, the greater your risk of lung cancer. But if you stop smoking, the risk of lung cancer decreases each year as normal cells replace abnormal cells. After ten years, the risk drops to a level that is one-third to one-half of the risk for people who continue to smoke. In addition, quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of developing other smoking-related diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Many of the chemicals in tobacco smoke also affect the nonsmoker inhaling the smoke, making "secondhand smoking" another important cause of lung cancer. It is responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually.

Radon is considered to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. today. Radon gas can come up through the soil under a home or building and enter through gaps and cracks in the foundation or insulation, as well as through pipes, drains, walls or other openings. Radon causes between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States — 12 percent of all lung cancer deaths are linked to radon.

Radon problems have been found in every state. The EPA estimates that nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. has indoor radon levels at or above the level at which homeowners should take action — 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L) on a yearly average. Radon can be a problem in schools and workplaces, too.

Because you cannot see or smell radon, the only way to tell if you are being exposed to the gas is by measuring radon levels. Exposure to radon in combination with cigarette smoking greatly increases the risk of lung cancer. That means for smokers, exposure to radon is an even greater health risk.

Another leading cause of lung cancer is on-the-job exposure to cancer-causing substances or carcinogens. Asbestos is a well-known, work-related substance that can cause lung cancer, but there are many others, including uranium, arsenic, and certain petroleum products.

There are many different jobs that may involve exposure. Some examples are working with certain types of insulation, working in coke ovens, and repairing brakes. When exposure to job-related carcinogens is combined with smoking, the risk of getting lung cancer is sharply increased.

A recent study published in the Journal of American Medical Association suggests that particulate matter pollution can cause lung cancer.

Lung cancer takes many years to develop. But changes in the lung can begin almost as soon as a person is exposed to cancer-causing substances. Soon after exposure begins, a few abnormal cells may appear in the lining of the bronchi (the main breathing tubes). If a person continues to be exposed to the cancer-causing substance, more abnormal cells will appear. These cells may be on their way to becoming cancerous and forming a tumor.

HOW IS LUNG CANCER DETECTED?

In its early stages, lung cancer usually does not cause symptoms. When symptoms occur, the cancer is often advanced. Symptoms of lung cancer include:

* Chronic cough
* Hoarseness
* Coughing up blood
* Weight loss & loss of appetite
* Shortness of breath
* Fever without a known reason
* Wheezing
* Repeated bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia
* Chest pain

These conditions are also symptomatic of many other lung problems, so a person who has any of these symptoms should see a doctor to find out the cause. When a person goes for an exam, the doctor ask many questions about the person’s medical history, including questions about the patient’s exposure to hazardous substances. The doctor will also give the patient a physical exam. If the patient has a cough that produces a sputum (mucus), it may be examined for cancer cells. The doctor will order a chest X-ray or specialized X-ray such as the CT scan, which help to locate any abnormal spots in the lungs. The doctor may insert a small tube called a bronchoscope through the nose or mouth and down the throat, to look inside the airways and lungs and take a sample, or biopsy, of the tumor. This is just one of several ways in which a doctor may take a biopsy sample.

A growing number of doctors are using a form of CT scan in smokers to spot small lung cancers, which are more likely than large tumors to be cured. The technique, called helical low-dose CT scan, is much more sensitive than a regular X-ray and can detect tumors when they are small.

More studies on this type of screening will show whether routine screening of smokers and others at risk for lung cancer will save lives.

If you are diagnosed with cancer, the doctor will do testing to find out whether the cancer has spread, and, if so, to which parts of the body. This information will help the doctor plan the most effective treatment. Tests to find out whether the cancer has spread can include a CT scan, an MRI, or a bone scan.

=======

You can see a doctor and voice your concerns, but you haven’t really listed any symptoms. Your lung function can be tested as well. And lay off cigarettes or weed. Marijuana has many more carcinogens than cigarettes (and RESIN) that sticks in your lungs.

You only have TWO lungs…protect them.

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Mesothelioma Cancer

Mesothelioma cancer is a rare type of cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart. Men develop this about four times more often than women. All types of Mesothelioma are usually fatal with the exception of benign Mesothelioma.

Once this cancer has been diagnosed the prognosis is not very promising. Most patients have a life expectancy of only less than one year. However, it is also dependent upon how soon the cancer is diagnosed and how aggressively it is treated. These factors can lengthen or shorten the patient’s life expectancy.

Mesothelioma cancer is rather odd in the way it behaves. The cause of it is exposure to asbestos. Yet it can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years following exposure to the asbestos before symptoms begin showing up. These symptoms can include:

* Shortness of breath

* Persistent cough

* Fatigue

* Lumps under the skin in the chest area

* Weight loss

* Nausea

* Pain and swelling in the abdomen

* Obstruction in the bowel

* Heart palpations

* Irregular heartbeat

* Trouble breathing

* Night sweats

* Testicular lumps that may or may not be painful

Anyone experiencing these symptoms needs to contact their doctor immediately. If Mesothelioma cancer is suspected, the doctor will perform certain tests to confirm the diagnosis. These tests may be in the form of X-rays, different types of scans, and a biopsy.

Once the diagnosis has been confirmed the next step is to find the best treatment options for the patient. These can be anything from chemotherapy to surgery. The most common types of treatments are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery.  Immunotherapy and gene therapy are experimental treatments that can also be tried. Many patients use a combination of treatments to try to fight this cancer.

As the dangers of asbestos were known long before anything was done to protect workers from Mesothelioma cancer, there have been many ongoing law suits against companies who either produced or used asbestos products. The exposure to asbestos occurred in the 20th century until the danger was exposed in the 1970’s. It was at this point in time that asbestos started to decline. Today, families of the victims of Mesothelioma are winning large law suits everyday due to the negligence of the companies who were responsible for exposing their loved ones to this deadly mineral.

The sad thing about this cancer is that it is one that could have been avoided completely with a bit of research and study into asbestos before assuming it was safe to use.

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PROSTATE CANCER – NEW TREATMENT BY RADIOTHERAPY

Research is continuing to try and improve technology and techniques to allow radiotherapy to the prostate gland to be more effective and to have fewer side effects. One way is to reduce the amount of radiation received by normal organs (bladder, bowel etc) and this has been improving over the last few years with better machines and techniques such as “conformal radiotherapy” and “IMRT”.

Work is also being carried out on combining brachytherapy with external therapy to allow some of the benefits of brachytherapy (fewer side effects, higher overall dose to the prostate cancer) to be used for men with more advanced prostate cancer without compromising the chance of cure.

NEW HORMONE THERAPY FOR PROSTATE CANCER

Some newer prostate cancer hormone treatments have fewer side effects than older hormone based drugs. Some are also felt to be more effective. All the time researchers are testing to try and find the best hormone tablets or injections for use in prostate cancer.

Other research is going on to try and work out the best time to give hormone treatment in prostate cancer and whether it is best to combine this treatment with other types of treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Trials are currently being run to answer these questions and the results should be available in the next few years.

IMPROVEMENTS IN CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT FOR PROSTATE CANCER

In the past prostate cancer did not respond very well to chemotherapy drugs. However now there are newer drugs which are more powerful against prostate cancer and these have started to be used with more frequency in late prostate cancer which has already spread to other organs and which has become resistant to hormone treatments. The best drug found so far is Docetaxel, a new type of chemotherapy drug. It has several side effects including hair loss, nausea and risk of infection. Doctors are now looking to see if Docetaxel would work even better as a combination with other drugs.

USE OF BISPHOSPHONATE DRUGS FOR PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENT

These are a group of drugs which are most often used in treating osteoporosis. It has been recently found that they can also help reduce pain associated with cancer deposits or secondaries in the bones. They may also help reduce the risk of these abnormal bones from breaking or fracturing, by slowing down the damage caused to the bone by the cancer.

Research is ongoing to look at which of these drugs is the best for treating prostate cancer with bone disease and when the best time to start treatment with these drugs is.

ALTERNATIVE TO SURGERY FOR TREATMENT OF EARLY PROSTATE CANCER

There are 2 new treatments which are being researched as an alternative to surgery for some men with localised prostate cancer. Both options would not require a general anaesthetic (you would not need to be put to sleep) making them lower risk. Both treatments also have fewer side effects than radical surgery (“prostatectomy”). However neither has been in use long enough to know if it will prevent prostate cancer from coming back as effectively as standard treatments (surgery and radiotherapy).

Cryotherapy is the killing of cancer cells by freezing them. Needles are inserted into the prostate gland under local anaesthetic and liquid nitrogen is passed along them to freeze the prostate and the cancer cells within it. Currently it is being used for men whose prostate cancer has come back despite a first more conventional treatment and so is only being trialled for use as a first treatment option.

HIFU stands for high frequency ultrasound. Here ultrasound waves are directed to where there are cancer cells and are these are used to heat them up, thus killing them. In prostate cancer the ultrasound probe would be put into the back passage and from here ultrasound waves would be fired towards the prostate gland. The results so far have been good in that the treatment is safe and effective.

NEW TREATMENTS FOR PROSTATE CANCER IN VERY EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

There are a number of alternative treatments which are still at a highly experimental stage of development. Gene therapy aims to replace the faulty genes in cancer cells with good ones which would allow the cell to self destruct if it felt it had become too mutated. (Cancer cells have lost this self destruct ability and continue to grow and divide despite having many abnormalities which would normally force the cell to die.) Vaccine treatment looks at ways of making the bodies own immune system recognise and kill cancerous sells. Endothelin blockers are a new type of drug treatment which works by preventing the prostate cancer cells to grow.

Many people may have heard that Vitamin D is being used in the treatment of prostate cancer however this therapy is in the very early experimental stages and is no where near being used in clinics as a cancer treatment. Vitamin D has been reported to block receptors on prostate cancer cells thereby slowing the rate of their growth but there is NO clinical evidence that this is in fact the case. Some researchers claim that the active form of Vitamin D slows the growth of prostate cancer but as yet this has only been tested on mice and other small animals.

Beta-sitosterol is a herbal remedy that people have started to associate with prostate cancer treatment. This natural plant fat has apparently been proven effective for the treatment of an enlarged prostate but not necessarily prostate cancer. According to research Beta-sitosterol MAY help to prevent the emergence of prostate cancer but this has not been clinically proven yet.

Adrian Jones
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/new-treatments-for-prostate-cancer-106680.html

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