for short is a new way of treating some skin cancers and certain other pre-cancerous skin lesions. These are basal cell carcinoma’s, Bowen’s Disease and also actinic (or solar) keratosis.

PDT is quick, easy, and does not result in scarring. It is now the preferred treatment for many skin cancers in the UK. Photodynamic therapy is not the preferred treatment for squamous cell skin cancers as these have a high chance of recurrence and we want to be sure that the treatment has succeeded.

Putting it very simply, photodynamic therapy for skin cancers involves applying a special light sensitizing cream to the affected area and a little of the surrounding area and then after a short while shining a bright light onto the treated area. The cells which have absorbed the chemical and are then subject to the bright light will die off leaving fresh normal skin to grow in its place. Normal cells are left relatively undamaged. This is because PDT affects mainly fast growing skin cancer or pre-cancer cells.

Until recently, standard treatments for these particular skin cancers have been either destructive, for example using liquid nitrogen, or surgical. Both of these treatments has its advantages but a major disadvantage of surgical treatments has been the resulting scar left by the surgical cut and stitches. Liquid nitrogen spray or cryotherapy for skin cancer will destroy the tumour cells but is not terribly refined and will destroy other normal tissue also. Photodynamic therapy avoids scars.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is available on the UK NHS in some centres but relatively few and for those NHS units there is a long waiting list. The problem is the usual one of funding. NHS units are limited by their funding and so can see limited numbers of patients. Consequently large numbers of patients are sent via the surgical route and get what is now considered to be good but not the best treatment.

PDT can be used for treating other cancers but at we only treat designated types of skin cancer and pre-malignant or precancerous lesions as recommended by the UK’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). We operate under stringent conditions imposed by the Care Quality Commission and are subject to annual re-licensing and approval.

NICE issued Guidance in 2006 saying that there was good evidence to support the use of PDT for treatment of basal cell cancers, Bowen’s Disease and also solar or actinic keratoses. NICE said that photodynamic therapy for skin cancers was of particular use in situations where a person may need a lot of surgery – for example where there was a large and not too deep skin cancer, or where there were multiple cancers. An obvious use of PDT is for skin cancers that are visible on the face or neck and where a surgical scar would be equally disfiguring as the tumour. You can download a pdf of the .

Basal cell skin carcinoma’s or cancers are very common indeed with skin cancers as a whole being the most common cancer in the UK and of these around 80% of the skin cancers which are not melanoma’s will be basal cell cancers. Basal cell skin cancers are caused primarily by exposure to sunlight. Australians have the highest rates of basal cell skin cancers in the world. Other risk factors include fair skin, blue eyes, red or blonde hair and intermittent intense exposure to sunlight or artificial ultra-violet radiation such as sun beds. One a person has a basal cell skin cancer then the chances of another appearing will be increased by 10 times compared with the general population.

The type of skin cancer is identified using a special magnifying glass called a dermatoscope. This allows the specially trained clinician to correctly identify the skin lesion as a basal cell cancer or as a pre-malignant skin lesion such as Bowen’s disease or an actinic keratosis.

In addition, the clinician will take either a painless scrape from the lesion or a special very thin sample of tissue called a biopsy which confirms the diagnosis and in the case of the skin biopsy, the depth of the tumour, to make sure that it is the correct diagnosis and also confirms the depth is ideal for treatment. These samples are sent to our laboratory for analysis which takes a few days.

Once the diagnosis is confirmed by the laboratory then treatment with photodynamic therapy for your particular type of skin cancer can begin.

A light-sensitising cream made up of 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) tradename Metvix, is applied to the target area after the crusting debris has been gently removed. The area is covered with a dressing for three to six hours and then the area is subjected to a strong light for up to 45 minutes or so. A slight tingling is felt whilst the light is being used. A crusted area will then remain and will slowly fall off during the next week or two, depending on the size of the original lesion.

A second or third treatment is sometimes needed.

Technorati Tags: cancer, London, Photodynamic, skin, therapy

http://prostate-cancer-symptoms.info

Prostate cancer usually does not cause symptoms in the beginning stages. By the time symptoms do occur, the disease may have spread beyond the prostate. Symptoms of prostate cancer may include the following: urinary problems, such as not being able to urinate, having a hard time starting or stopping the flow of urine, needing to urinate often, especially at night, weak flow of urine, urine flow that starts and stops, pain or burning during urination, difficulty having an erection, blood in the urine or semen, and/or frequent pain in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.

The “Prostate Cancer Treatment” report includes a review of possible signs and symptoms (such as weak flow of urine or painful ejactulation); descriptions of the various tests used for diagnosis (including digital rectal exam and prostate-specific antigen test); an explanation of the various stages of prostate cancer (Stages I, II, III, and IV); an overview of treatment options (including watchful waiting, surgery, and radation therapy); and also includes 10 pages of related medical terminology (to help you understand what your medical provider is talking about.

Duration : 0:3:33

Technorati Tags: Active, antigen, benign, bladder, BPH, cancer, check, chemo, clinic, digital, DRE, exam, gland, hormone, hyperplasia, III, patient, penis, Prostate, prostate-specific, Prostatectomy, prostatic, prostrate, PSA, Radiation, Radical, rectal, semen, sperm, Stage, surgery, Surveillance, symptoms, test, testicles, therapy, urethra, urologist, urology, waiting, watchful

Smoking, they assert, is that the leading reason behind lung cancer world-wide.  A recent study shows that, in the United States alone, 157,200 people have died of smoking-related lung cancer.  Some of that are caused directly by smoking, and some due to used smoke.  However the effect of smoking does not solely stop at lung cancer.

Smoking and cancer

Statistics show that smoking attributes to 54% of mouth cancers, 50% of esophageal cancers, and 70% of cancer of the larynx.  And also, in relation to men and ladies’s sexual health, smoking increases risks of cervical cancer by 19 to 80% depending on the frequency of consumption, and it also increases risks of penile cancer by 50%.

These numbers certainly prove that smokers are at a bigger chance to develop a ton of various sorts of cancers as compared to non-smokers.  Male smokers have a 20% increased possibilities of developing lung cancer whereas ladies have a 13% increased risk.

Tobacco smoke consists of four thousand totally different harmful substances, chemicals, and toxins.  Sixty out of those four thousand chemicals are known to cause cancer.  These cancer inflicting toxins are mainly found in tar that smokers inhale from a cigarette.  Concerning 70% of that tar stays inside the lungs. Studies have shown that benzpyrene, one in all the carcinogens found in tar, damages and slowly destroys genes responsible for fighting cancer causing cells and subsequently prevent development of cancerous tumors.  In nearly 60% of smoking-induced cancers, these genes were seen to be damaged.

Oral or throat cancer

Oropharyngeal cancer could involve the lips, mouth, tongue, gums, salivary glands, esophagus, larynx, thyroid glands, and/or the cells lining the throat.  Its earliest symptom might be a pale lump within the mouth that will not appear to heal.  An estimated 7,000 Americans die of oropharyngeal cancer yearly.  Smoking could cause cancer development in the mouth alone, on the throat alone, or a combination of both.  Symptoms of oropharyngeal cancer might embrace the subsequent:

o A sore in your mouth that doesn’t heal or increases in size.
o Persistent pain in your mouth.
o Lumps or white, red or dark patches within your mouth.
o Thickening of your cheek.
o Problem chewing or swallowing or moving your tongue.
o Issue moving your jaw, or swelling or pain in your jaw.
o Soreness in your throat or feeling that one thing is caught in your throat.
o Pain around your teeth, or loosening of your teeth.
o Numbness of your tongue or elsewhere in your mouth.
o Bad breath.
o A swelling or lump within the throat.
o A persistent cough.
o Blood-flecked phlegm.
o The feeling of something permanently stuck in the throat.
o Voice changes, like persistent hoarseness or huskiness.
o Throat pain.
o Referred pain into the ears.
o Swallowing difficulties.
o Respiratory difficulties.
o Swollen lymph glands.
o Gastrointestinal disorders, like excessive reflux, diarrhea or constipation.

Treatment

Treatment of oropharyngeal cancer can depend on the dimensions, kind, and location of the cancer and whether it’s already spread.  It might include one or a combination of the following:

o Surgery.  This includes surgical removal of the tumor and its affected organs.  The quantity of tissue to be removed may depend on the size of the tumor and the mass it’s already affected.
o Radiation therapy.  This includes exposing the cancer causing cells to small, precise doses of radiation.
o Chemotherapy.  It involves the use of cancer cell-killing medications that’s employed in conjunction to radiation therapy.
o Long term monitoring.  This could embody regular examinations and x-rays to check {that the} cancer has not come back.
o Rehabilitation therapy.  This includes help from health professionals like dietitians, speech therapists, and physiotherapists to regain motor functions of the affected areas.

The simplest way to avoid getting yourself into this case is to avoid smoking.  It is understandable that this can be difficult to try and do if you’re a sequence smoker.  Cutting short on cigarette consumption could facilitate to gradually get you into the trail to being smoke free.  All it takes in enough will power and discipline to stay yourself healthy and cancer-free.

Technorati Tags: cancer, smoking, therapy, Treatment

Symptoms of lung cancer and emphysema include increased breathlessness, wheezing, coughing and increase mucus production. Find out why vital signs may be normal in a patient with lung cancer with help from a nurse and respiratory care practitioner in this free video on respiratory therapy and healthy breathing.

Duration : 0:1:54

Technorati Tags: asthma, breathing, cancer, conditions, diseases, health, lung, pneumonia, respiratory, smoking, system, therapy