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Archive for the ‘Tumor and Cancer’ Category

Beating Cancer – how can you possibly beat cancer when the treatments for it are killing good cells too? You actually have two battles: the physical and the mental. It seems everyone knows someone at sometime that has had a brush with this deadly killer. Is it stress or toxins in the environment that cause our cells to degenerate.

Here are some forms of cancer we know of:

bladder cancer breast cancer carcinoid tumor colorectal cancer glioblastoma liver cancer non-small cell lung cancer (NSLC) chronic lymphocytic leukemia lymphoma (both Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s) melanoma multiple myeloma neuroblastoma ovarian cancer pancreatic cancer prostate cancer renal cell carcinoma throat cancer uterine cancer That’s quite a list and I’m sure there are more, but this will keep us busy. Understanding a few processes that your body goes through might provoke you to live a bit better so we can give it a go.

Sleep - your body is on a universal time clock and it repairs itself somewhere between midnight and 6 a.m..Over time if you can’t or you don’t give it time to repair what do you think will happen? Right, a run down or break down will occur. You will get sick or worse. Immune system – evidence is mounting and it’s being traced back to your immune system. Stress, toxins, poor eating habits and a slew of other elements are wearing down our immune systems. This is the main defense against many viruses and bacterial invaders. We are starving our troops. Nutrition - the very thing that feeds our army which fights diseases is eluding us daily. It’s actually quite amazing with all the pressures, lack of nutrition that people are not sicker than they are.This is a testimonial to the adaptive nature of the human body, but these last several years we can see the armour cracking.

Drugs are trying to fill the gaps, but they are causing their own problems. When it comes to cancer and other illnesses we haven’t listed are there options? I’m here to say yes. Why haven’t the drug companies come forth with them and are they safe?

I’m afraid it all comes down to money over health. I don’t think I’m shedding any mighty revelation, but that seems to be the truth. There is a drug that’s been around for thirty years or so that has been quite effective with Cancer, MS and other debilitating deceases. The other benefit to this alternative is minimal to no side effects. When you see the cost compared to the current drugs on the market you will understand why drug companies are not interested in marketing this alternative.

Cancerous tumors can be grouped into two types malignant and benign. Benign Tumors stopped growing and looked much like normal organ cells when seen under microscope. Malignant tumors in contrast grew relentlessly and led to skin ulceration and debilitation. Malignant tumors bore less resemblance to normal cells and always had a frenzied look when looked under microscope.

Fortunately most tumors are merely lazy lumps of slow growing cells. Though benign ones may look like neighboring cells they do little or no work. This growth can be life threatening too but in a different sense. For purely mechanical reasons these tumors can turn fatal. For example a growth in brain can squeeze healthy cells and cause pressure build up inside the rigid and non expandable skull. Benign tumors called myxoma are also common in heart they can grow in size and choke the blood flow to heart. Such benign growth called uterine fibroids is common in the uterus of women. Most of the time it causes no problem but if it grows in size it then may it may cause sever pain and bleeding requiring hysterectomy.

Benign tumors are known for bad things that they do not do unlike their malignant cousins. They do not grow fast without limit. They do not destroy the active neighboring cells nor are they metastatic to other organs. These tumors stop growing on their own and sometimes disappear spontaneously. But it does cause fear and horror when it first appears. These tumors are covered by an outer surface that prevents them from behaving in a malignant manner. However many types of them have the potential to become malignant. One of the most common benign growths that can turn malignant is tubular adenoma. It is a polyp in colon that is often considered as a precursor to cancer. Otherwise most benign tumors do not need any treatment at all. However if they cause any health risk to the patient then surgery is the only way to treat them as they do not respond to radiation or chemotherapy.

Introduction

This is the most common primary tumor of the eye in children. It arises from the retina. .The retina is a layer of nerve tissue that coats the back of the eye, which is important for vision of person. Retinoblasts (immature cells of the retina) multiply during gestation and early life, to make enough cells to create the retina. As child grows, these cells mature & no longer differentiate. If these immature retinoblasts turn into cancer cells, retinoblastoma develops, the cause of which is unknown. The gene responsible is RB1 gene.

Incidence:

The annual incidence is one in 20000 children. It occurs most often in children under 4 years of age.

Types:

Hereditary:
oHereditary form of Retinoblastoma occurs in 40%.
oMay have more than one tumor
oTumor often affects both eyes
oMay have tumors in other parts of the body
oAt increased risk for other cancers later in life

Non-hereditary:
oMost children with retinoblastoma (60%) do not have the genetic form.
oThey develop tumor in only one eye i.e. unilateral.
oThese children do not have an increased risk of developing other cancers.
oTheir offspring have the same risk of developing retinoblastoma as other children in the population.

Symptoms:

oA pupil that looks white or red instead of the usual black i.e. called as white or cat’s eye reflex.
oA crossed eye i.e. strabismus.
oPoor vision
oA red, painful eye
oAn enlarged pupil
oDifferently colored irises

Investigations:

oExamination under general anesthesia using Retcam
oUltrasound
oCT (CAT) scan
oMRI
oCSF examination
oBone marrow studies
oBone scan in advanced disease
oChromosomal analysis (in certain cases)

Management:

1.Surgery to remove the eye, known as enucleation. This s done when there is no vision in eye to save further spread & life. Enucleation may also be recommended if the tumor does not respond to treatment.

2.Chemotherapy is used to shrink tumors in the eye. This approach is often used in children with bilateral disease (both eyes) for saving at least one eye which has less disease. It is also used in small tumors where the eye vision is present to save the eye. in combination with other measures such as

1.Photocoagulation–using laser light to destroy blood vessels supplying the tumor.

2.Thermotherapy–using heat to destroy tumor cells

3.Cryotherapy–using extreme cold to destroy tumor cells

4.Radiation Therapy-It is used for control of local disease with preservation of vision. Radiation plaque therapy and particle beam radiotherapy are used frequently.

Prognosis:

The five-year survival rate for children with retinoblastoma is more than 90%.

Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of your pancreas, a large organ that lies horizontally behind the lower part of the stomach. Pancreatic cancer occurs most commonly in men between the ages of 35 and 70, it is the fourth most common cause of cancer mortality (behind lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer). Pancreatic carcinoma is usually an adenocarcinoma and it usually arises from the pancreatic duct cells which make up the major part of the pancreas.

Cause of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic tumors are caused by damage to genes, but it is not known exactly why this damage happens. Evidence suggests that it is linked to exposure to carcinogens such as; cigarettes, food high in fat and protein and food additives. Possible predisposing factors are chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus and chronic alcohol abuse.

There is some evidence that people who don’t eat many fresh vegetables and fruits are more at risk from pancreatic cancer.also being overweight may cause a small increase in the risk. Some industrial chemicals called chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents have been linked to pancreatic cancer, although they are unlikely to be a major factor. Other chemicals and exposures that have been linked to an increased risk of pancreatic carcinoma in some studies include pesticides, radiation, nickel, chromium and iron.

The average age of onset of pancreatic cancer is between 70 to 80 but heavy smokers and heavy drinkers present an average of seven to 10 years earlier than the rest of the population.

Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer
The most common are weight loss, abdominal or low back pain, jaundice and diarrhea.
Other more general effects include; fever, skin lesions, depression, anxiety and a premonition of impending death. Ascites ( fluid retention in the abdomen ) can be a sign of pancreatic tumors.

Diagnosis
It is very difficult to diagnose pancreatic cancer as the pancreas is so deep within the body and symptoms vary depending on the exact location of the tumor in the pancreas and which cells or function of the pancreas is affected by the tumour or cancer. Unfortunately the symptoms of this cancer can also be quite vague and non specific and may be caused by many other more common and less serious conditions.

Pancreatic cancer typically spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it is a leading cause of cancer death. Specialists believe that anyone over 50 who develops diabetes and has unexplained weight loss should be investigated for other pancreatic disease. Courvoisier sign defines the presence of jaundice and a painlessly distended gallbladder as strongly indicative of pancreatic cancer and may be used to distinguish pancreatic cancer from gallstones.

Treatment
Treatment for pancreatic cancer depends on the stage and location of the cancer as well as on your age, overall health and personal preferences. The first goal of treatment is to eliminate the cancer, when possible. When that isn’t an option, the focus may be on preventing the pancreatic cancer from growing or causing more harm. This cancer is relatively resistant to medical treatment and the only potentially curative treatment is surgery. Radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer can palliate pain but does not affect the patients survival.

Gemcitabine was approved by the US FDA in 1998 after a clinical trial reported improvements in quality of life in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Management of pain and other symptoms is an important part of the treatment of advanced cancer.

Prognosis
Pancreatic cancer often has a poor prognosis, even when diagnosed early and the median survival period from the time of diagnosis until demise is arguably the worst of any of the cancers. The best predictors of long term survival after surgery are a tumor diameter of less than 3 cm, no nodal involvement, negative resection margins, and diploid tumor DNA content.

Due to difficulties in diagnosis, the aggressive nature of pancreatic cancer and the limited systemic treatments available, the five-year survival rate for patients who have pancreatic adenocarcinoma is only about 5%. For cancer that cannot be removed completely with surgery, or cancer that has spread beyond the pancreas, cure is not currently possible and the average survival is usually less than 1 year.

Cancer is one of the deadliest and least understood diseases that afflicts humans and other animals. It is one of the most common causes of death among Americans and scientists have spent many years and plenty of money on creating a cure for cancer. While cancer is yet to be considered “curable”, many new advancements have been made which can slow cancer growths and prolong the lives of many people. This article will introduce a few of the most common methods of treating different types of cancer that can range from breast and prostate cancer to skin cancer.

Surgery

The first option for most patients diagnosed with cancer is to receive an initial surgery. The purpose of operating on the patient is to remove as much of the cancerous cells as possible. Cancer is usually found in a tumor, which is a large group of unhealthy cells. By opening up the patient and extracting these tumors, physicians can remove more than 95% of the cancerous cells. The downside of surgery is that many of the cells are tiny and have spread to other parts of the body. This means that it would be almost impossible for the surgeon to remove all of the cancerous cells.

Another important reason for operating on the patient is to implant a piece of radioactive material near the location of the tumor. This radioactive material is able to annihilate local cancerous cells by emitting high energy particles that destroy cancerous DNA.

Chemotherapy

The process of treating disease by using chemicals to kill small cancerous cells is called chemotherapy. Chemotherapy acts by destroying cancerous cells that are trying to quickly reproduce. Doctors must take special precautions when performing chemotherapy because the chemicals may also destroy healthy cells that also reproduce quickly such as hair follicles and bone marrow.

Radiation Therapy

Using ionized radiation to destroy cancer cells is known as radiotherapy, or radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is effective because it damages the DNA of cells by shooting a beam of photons, electrons, protons, ions, or neutrons directly at the cancerous cells. Radiation has been proven to be highly effective and is becoming a more and more common way to treat cancer patients.

Cancer refers to a disease in which abnormal cells grow without control, invade surrounding tissues and ultimately spread to other organs throughout the body. Caring for dogs (pets) diagnosed with cancer require’s a well trained and dedicated veterinary who understands both the medical and emotional aspect of cancer but also a informed pet owner who actively participates in the treatment process.

There are many types of cancer. Besides treating the cancer, an important aspect of managing cancer includes pain control and nutrition. It is important that pets with cancer are provided with pain medication to relieve discomfort caused by both the disease as well as by the treatments, and are fed diets specifically designed to support a cancer patient(pet).

I had a yellow Labrador retriever who was diagnosed with mass tumor cell cancer. She originally had a growth on her hind leg pawl that grew from 0 to 100 in two weeks flat. Our vet removed it, sent it off to a lab for testing and it came back positive for cancer cells. The vet wanted us to take a wait and see attitude to see what would come of it. Two months later I noticed bumps all around her neck. We went back to the Vet so he could take a sample, it came back the same cancer cells. Treatment options were Chemo or a small dose of prednisone. At this time she was 12 years old. My wife and I made the painful decision not to go with the chemo therapy and keep her on prednisone because of her age. Three months latter, a week shy of her 13th birthday, she lost her battle to cancer. People with older pets need to be vigilant about anything unusual about there pets. Such as new bumps on their bodies. Even if your pet is diagnosed with cancer for which there is no effective treatment, enrolling your pet in a veterinary clinical trail may provide you with an option to try new therapies.

Cancer can be either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors normally remain localized to one area and do not invade surrounding tissues or organs. They are not usually dangerous but can cause serious problems once their size begins to push on surrounding tissues.

In contrast, malignant tumors contain cells that have the ability to invade neighboring tissues and to spread to distant organs through the blood stream, a process known as metastasis.

The treatment is often available at decreased or no cost to you and even if your pet does not respond to the new therapy, its participation will help scientists develop better and more successful cancer treatments in the future. To find more information about veterinary oncology and cancer in pets, please visit the Pet cancer center. Also visit the link pet cancer for treatment options.