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Archive for the ‘Tumor and Cancer’ Category

Tumor cells vary from normal cells in several basic ways. First, the division of normal cells is tightly regulated by special cell signals. With tumor cells, it’s as if the signals are no longer produced or perhaps they are no longer received.

Research involving cells is often accomplished by removing the cells from an individual and growing them in a sterile dish with the nutrients required for their survival. Growing cells for research use is termed “cell culture”. Just by watching normal cells in cell culture it is obvious that their division is regulated by something. Normal cells in culture grow until the bottom of their dish is carpeted with the cell. The layer is only 1 cell thick. Once this density is reached, they stop dividing because there is no more space. If one cell dies, an adjacent one will divide to fill in the space. Additionally, normal cells will divide a certain number of times after which time, the division process halts. There are a certain pre-determined number of generations that may be produced and then there is no more dividing. Eventually, the entire culture will die.

With tumor cells, it’s a completely different story. Tumor cells will divide over and over, time after time; forever if supplied with nutrients. With enough time, tumor cells in culture will become a piled up mess. They lack order to their growth. It is as though tumor cells lose have lost the capacity to follow the rules and they divide (proliferate) out of control.

A second major difference between normal cells and tumor cells is that normal cells perform a special function or duty for the body. Healthy cells have specialized behaviors and serve a purpose. For example, lung cells have a specialized duty to perform while cells of cardiac tissue have a very different one. Normal cells taken from different tissues even have very different appearances. Tumor cells have a different appearance than normal cells taken from the tissue they are derived from. This is due to the fact that they have lost their specialized function.

Differentiation is the term given to describe the specialized function a given cell has. Differentiation and proliferation are closely tied together. In general, a cell that proliferates at a high rate loses some of its specialized function. The problem is, it really doesn’t have time to perform a specific function since its too busy dividing. Cells that perform a highly specific function (i.e. differentiated) have a lower rate of proliferation. Researchers are studying the possibility of making tumor/cancer cells differentiated so they might lose their ability to proliferate continuously. In theory, this would cause the tumor to stop growing.

To a layman, brain tumor is basically cancer of the brain. Medulloblastoma, ependymoma, glioma, teratoma, atypical teratoid rhadoid tumor, etc, are names associated with different types of brain tumor.

In simple terms, brain tumor is no more than uncontrolled growth of cells forming a lump in the brain. Just like any other form of cancers, brain tumor can spread and proliferate to any other parts of the body.

Anyone affected with cancer faces uncertainty and anxiety. He often worries about the illness with a dozen of questions about the situation he or she is experiencing. A person with kidney cancer is no different. A kidney cancer patient will often worry about a lot of things primarily about getting the proper treatment including getting all tumor removed. Additionally, he may worry about whether the cancer will come back or having to undergo an array of medical tests, scheduled treatments and even hospital stays. Medical bills are also prime concern and these can also worry patients with any serious illness. Furthermore, kidney cancer patients often worry about how to hold on with his job despite the illness.

Kidney cancer’s primary choice of treatment is surgery. However, each patient requires different forms of treatment or a combination thereof depending on his age and general health and the stage of cancer. Kidney cancer is resistant to radiation. This is the reason why radiation is only used when there is already lymph node or kidney area involvement. Additionally, radiation treatment is only done when the cancer has already spread to other areas and the cancer cells can no longer be completely removed. It has been observed that drug therapy has been inconsistently effective against kidney cancer. Aside from radical nephrectomy, or the surgical removal of the kidney, some procedures are also being done to kidney cancer patients. These include procedures like arterial embolization, radiation therapy, biological therapy and hormone therapy.

Post-operative care is necessary in order to help kidney cancer patients recover more easily from surgery. He also needs supportive treatment, which includes relief from symptoms and side effects caused by treatments including chemotherapy and radiation. Kidney cancer patients will also benefit from psychological reassurance. This will speed up recovery and even minimize complications.

Taking care of a loved one who is suffering from kidney cancer is not easy. If the patient has to undergo surgery, you need to encourage him to express his fears and anxieties. You can talk to him and assure him that his body will be able to adapt soon to the kidney loss. It will also be beneficial if the patient is aware of any possible side effects after radiation or chemotherapy. His doctor or nurse may be able to talk with him about these. Medical professionals most often teach the patient some post-operative procedures to make the recovery easier. These include diaphragmatic breathing, proper coughing and how to support the incision while coughing. After surgery, you can aid the patient by regularly reminding him to comply with the doctor’s prescribed outpatient treatment including taking all the necessary medications. The doctor almost always will prescribe an annual follow-up chest x-ray. This procedure will rule out any spread of cancer to the lungs. Additionally, a procedure called intravenous pyelography maybe prescribed every 6 to 12 months in order to check for any budding tumors.

Finally, the length of recovery time from treatment including surgery, radiation or chemotherapy varies from individual to individual. Patients who undergo surgery will often complain of post-operative pain and discomfort accompanied with weakness and exhaustion. Family support and understanding are important during a patient’s recovery period.

Treating cancer has main four goals to cure, control or to arrest tumor growth, palliation or to alleviate symptoms and prophylaxis for patient with high risk of tumor development or recurrence. Cancer treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormone therapy.

Surgery it is the oldest treatment fir cancer. It involves the removal of the principal deposits of cancer. And the healthy tissue closing the tumor and probably adjacent lymph nodes may be removed. This is performed to diagnose the disease, initiate primary treatment, or achieve palliation, and is occasionally done for prophylaxis. Primary treatment includes local incision which is usually for biopsy, local excision for the removal of small masses, radical excision which involves the removal of the mass and the lymph nodes, debulking which removes some of the mass, and lastly the total removal of mass and lymph nodes.

Radiation therapy it destroys the cancer cells by using a beam of a high-energy electromagnetic radiation. It kills cancer cells and shrinks tumors through depositing energy that damages the genetic material inside the cancer cells by using ionizing radiation.

Chemotherapy uses in treatment for cancer by using of chemicals. It induces regression of a tumor and its metastasis. The choice of drugs depends on cell cycle and stage tumor proliferation.

Immunotherapy it induce the patient’s own immune system to fight the tumor. It stimulates the patient’s immune system to attack the malignant cells that are responsible for the disease. It can be used and approved for the treatments of colorectal cancers, breast cancers and leukemia.

Hormone therapy it is used to inhibit the growth of cancers by providing or blocking certain hormones.

Dietary recommendation against cancer
- Obesity should be evaded
- Cut down on total food intake
- Eat more high fiber foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, whole grain cereals
- In daily diet include the food rich in vitamin A and C
- Include cruciferous vegetables in the diet such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts
- Alcoholic beverages should be in moderate consumption
- Consumption of salt-cured, smoked- cured and nitrate- cure foods should be moderately

In the past, the treatment options for a particular disease were limited to only a few. With the advancements in medical science, we have scores of treatment options available for any disease.

The various treatment options available for breast cancer have increased in number too. Today there are many ways to combat and deal with breast cancer. They can be broadly classified into the following categories:

1. Surgery: Surgery has been the traditional mode of treatment for breast cancer. However, changes have taken place during recent times. The surgery now is more precise and is directed to the exact spot of the disease so that the damage to the unaffected area is minimized.

a. Lumpectomy: The cancerous lump is removed surgically without removing the surrounding lymph nodes.

b. Mastectomy: This is performed if the lump has become large or in case the cancer has spread to other areas. The affected breast is surgically removed.

c. Lymph Node Dissection: This is the surgical removal of lymph nodes. Usually done in case of invasive breast cancer, it is a procedure performed at the time of mastectomy or lumpectomy. During mastectomy, it is an extension of the breast incision (to the armpit area). If done during lumpectomy, a separate incision is performed in the armpit. A part or all of the lymph nodes are removed. Usually it also involves cutting the nerve carrying sensation to the area.

2. Radiation Therapy: Radiation is a highly targeted and effective way of treatment, which destroys the cancer cells. High levels of radiation are sent directly to the cancer cells. Radiation therapy undertaken after surgery can also kill those cancer cells that could not be treated by surgery. It can also be combined with chemotherapy, to relieve pain, or to shrink the tumor. It is short and relatively easy but side affects can also occur. The traditional radiation therapy is external in nature. Internal radiation therapy is also being experimented. In this process, radiation-producing substances are either implanted directly in to the tumor or injected through a tube.

3. Herceptin: Applicable only to women with HER2-positive breast cancer, it consists of an antibody, the primary role of which is blocking the HER2 protein in cancer cells. It is useful in cases where the breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Also known as immune treatment, it is approved by US FDA for women with metastatic disease.

4. Hormone Therapy: It is another effective treatment. It is useful for women having hormone receptive positive breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors are more effective in women with post menopause and Tamoxifen in women with pre menopause hormone receptive positive breast cancer.

5. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy, or use of chemicals to treat a disease, is a systematic therapy. Since the use of chemicals affects the whole body by going through the blood stream, it is very effective as it can act on the cells, which are rapidly dividing. A major drawback in this mode of treatment is that the drugs act not only on the cancer cells, they act on healthy cells as well leading to various side-effects like losing hair, nausea, skin diseases and so on.

6. Alternative Therapies: In addition to the above modes of treatment, there are many alternative therapies as well e.g. yoga, acupuncture etc. Since sufficient research is not available in respect of such therapies, it is difficult to come to any decisive conclusion.

Since the disease conditions differ from patient to patient, the ideal treatment for an individual would depend on various factors. The best mode of treatment can be formulated with due consultation between the patient and the doctor.

There are many different treatments available for people diagnosed with bladder cancer. Treatment depends mainly on the stage of cancer. A cancer caught early enough will require less dramatic measures than more advanced cancers. The most common treatment options are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In certain cases, your doctor may combine two or more treatment options, most commonly combining surgery with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Surgery may be performed with both early and advanced bladder cancers. When bladder cancer is caught early on, the tumor may be removed through the urinary opening, or urethra. This involves inserting small surgical instruments and a laparoscope through the urethra. The laparoscope is like a small telescope and is used to find the tumor and successfully remove it. This type of surgery is called a transurethral resection and rarely results in the patient requiring an external urine collecting method.

Once bladder cancer has spread, the surgical treatment usually involves complete or partial bladder removal. A partial bladder removal (cystectomy) is often reserved for patients with less invasive types of bladder cancer (usually cancers that start in cells associated with frequent infections or irritations) that occur near the top of the bladder. A complete, or radical, cystectomy may also involve removal of nearby tissues. For men, a radical cystectomy often includes removal of the prostate, the lymph nodes near the hip and the semen conducting tubes. For a woman, a radical cystectomy also includes removing the reproductive organs (uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes), part of the vagina and the urethra. If you do undergo surgery to remove your bladder cancer, you may require an opening for urine discharge (urostomy). Recent advances in surgical procedures are decreasing the number of people with urostomies.

Chemotherapy can also be used to treat bladder cancer, often in combination with surgery. Chemotherapy is a whole body treatment, meaning it affects the entire body not just the bladder. This is why many chemotherapy patients experience side effects such as nausea, bruising, headache and fatigue. Chemotherapy uses drugs (for example valrubicin, thiotepa and doxorubicin) to kill cancer cells. These drugs can be given either in the form of a pill to be swallowed or injected into a vein. If your bladder cancer is caught early enough, you may have the choice of receiving chemotherapy directly into your bladder through the urethra.

Radiation therapy can also be used to treat bladder cancer. This may be used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may have been missed by the surgeon. There are two ways radiation therapy may be performed, you may either receive a dose of radiation from a machine, or your tumor is planted with radioactive ‘seeds’ that slowly release their radiation. The side effects of radiation therapy can be an inflamed rectum, inability to control your bladder muscles, rash, or impotence (in men).

Immunotherapy, also called biological therapy, is a treatment designed to boost a person’s immune system so the body can rid itself of the cancer. This is accomplished by injecting a vaccine derived from the tuberculosis bacteria into the urethra. This vaccine puts the immune system on high alert and causes it to kill the cancer cells. Common side effects to this treatment option are an inflamed bladder or prostate and flu-like symptoms.