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Archive for the ‘Tumor and Cancer’ Category

Bone cancer is rare and accounts for less than 1% of all new tumors. Not all bone tumors are fatal in fact benign (non cancerous) abnormalities are more common than malignant ones. Most are secondary and have been spread from another site. Primary bone cancer which starts in the bone is quite rare constituting less than one per cent of all malignant tumors. They are more common in males, especially in children and adolescents. The most common type of primary cancer is osteosarcoma. This type of carcinoma usually affects young adults. It can affect any bone, but the arms, legs and pelvis are more commonly affected. Other less common forms of primary bone cancer include Ewing sarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma and chondrosarcoma.

Primary Bone Cancer
The causes of primary bone tumours are not known; however, adults who have Pagets disease (a bone disease) may have an increased risk.

Secondary bone cancer
Secondary bone cancer is the most common bone cancer. It is a carcinoma that starts somewhere else in the body and spreads (metastasises) to the bone. The most common cancers that spread to the bone originate in the breast, prostate, lung, kidney and thyroid.

Reticulum cell sarcoma of the bone
A cancerous tumor of the bone marrow presenting in more males than females.

Leukaemia
Cancer of the blood, which starts in the bone marrow

Symptoms of bore cancer
Symptoms tend to develop slowly and depend on the type, location, and size of the tumor. The signs and symptoms of bone carcinoma include: painful bones and joints, swelling of bones and joints, problems with movement, susceptibility to fractures. Less common symptoms include: unexplained weight loss, tiredness, fever and sweating.

Remember this conditionr is very rare so if you have any of these symptoms it is likely to be caused by another condition. Always see your doctor if you have for a diagnosis.

Causes
Although bone cancer does not have a clearly defined cause, researchers have identified several factors that increase the likelihood of developing these tumors. A small number of bone cancers are due to heredity.

Diagnosis
Bone cancer can present itself in any of the bones of the body, but it is diagnosed most often in the long bones of the arms and legs.

Diagnosing bone cancer involves a number of tests, including: X-rays and bone scans to show the exact location and size of the cancer (these are always done prior to biopsy), bone biopsy where a small sample of the cancer is removed from the bone and examined in the laboratory for the presence of malignant cells, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan similar to a CT scan but uses magnetism instead of x-rays to build three-dimensional pictures of your body.

Treatment
The treatment and prognosis depends upon multiple factors including the type and extent of the cancer, the patient’s age and overall health status. Tumors may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these.

Primary bone cancers:
The tumor, surrounding bone tissue and nearby lymph nodes are surgically removed. In severe cases, the affected limb may need to be amputated, but this is rare. Treatment may also include radiotherapy (x-rays to target and kill the cancer cells) and chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs). These may be given before surgery, to shrink the cancer and/or afterward to destroy any remaining cancer cells.

Secondary bone cancer:
Treatment depends on the treatment for the original tumor, but usually includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy. Surgery may be needed to strengthen the affected bone.

Prognosis
Overall, the chance of recovery (prognosis) for bone cancers has improved significantly since the development of modern chemotherapy. The chance of recovery will depend on a variety of influences; if the cancer has spread, the type of cancer, the size of the tumour, location, the person’s general health and other individual factors.

If the tumor is very small and localized, the five-year survival rate is close to 90 percent. If the cancer has begun to spread, however, survival becomes more difficult. The five-year survival rate is only about 60 percent, and the prognosis is poor once the cancer spreads.

Bone cancer in cats and dogs
Bone carcinoma in dogs and cats can be a challenging disorder. Osteosarcoma is by far the most common bone tumour if dogs, usually striking the leg bones of larger breeds. Chemotherapy significantly prolongs the survival of animals with osteosarcoma when used in conjunction with surgery. For dogs Cisplatin alone or in combination with doxorubicin markedly improves survival time to a median of 8-10 months with the percentage of dogs alive after11 months at 50%.

Feline Osteosarcoma unlike its canine counterpart it has a much lower rate of metastasis and longer term survival can be expected with complete excision. Median survival for cats with osteosarcoma is approximately 2 years with many cats outreaching that.

I know it is going be hard for you to believe, but an successful treatment for cancer has been know for over 30 years, but it has been blocked, banned and ignored by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the FDA, both who are supposed to be in the business of protecting your health.

In 1966, the senior oncologist at a prominent New York hospital rocked the medical world when he developed a serum that “shrank cancer tumors in 45 minutes!” Headlines hit every major newspaper on the planet. The medical and research professionals worldwide applauded. Time and again this life saving treatment worked:-miracles, but the FDA ignored the research. Ultimately the discovery was ignored and shut down. The hope that this NY Doctor brought to the world was destroyed.

You read that right. He was not only shut down-but also forced out of the country where others benefited from his discovery. Why is the United States the last to acknowledge and accept medical advances? That was 38 years ago. How many other treatments have they been allowed to hide? Just as in the case of Dr. Burton’s miracle serum these too go unmentioned. Two-Nutrient Cancer Breakthrough… Decades ago, European research scientist Dr. Johanna Budwig, a six-time Nobel Award nominee, discovered a totally natural formula that not only protects against the development of cancer, but people allover the world who have been diagnosed with incurable cancer and sent home to die have actually benefited from her research and now lead normal lives.

After 30 years of study, Dr. Budwig discovered that the blood of seriously ill cancer patients was deficient in certain substances and nutrients. It was the lack of these nutrients that allowed cancer cells to grow wild and out of control.

In case after case, cancer was actually healed by simply eating a combination of two natural and delicious foods Reports state that, “Symptoms of cancer, liver dysfunction, and diabetes were completely alleviated.” Remarkably, what Dr. Budwig discovered was a totally natural way for eradicating cancer. Read everything about the Budwig Diet – Click here

These results are not published so that all the world can benefit. The Internet provides the means that this great information cannot be withheld from the people that can benefit from it, if only they will open their minds and accept methods that others don’t want us to know.

What’s more, the world is full of expert minds like Dr. Budwig who have pursued cancer remedies and come up with remarkable discoveries only to have them ignored by the FDA in the U.S.

How to Fight Cancer & Win, author William Fischer, has studied these methods and revealed their secrets for you so that you or someone you might find ways to avoid the horrors of.conventional cancer treatments.

As early as 1947, Virginia Livingston, M.D., isolated a cancer-causing microbe. She noted that every cancer sample analyzed (whether human or other animal) contained it. This microbe is a bacteria that is actually in each of us from birth to death and promotes cancer when the immune system is weakened by stress, disease or poor nutrition. Worst of all, the microbes secrete a special hormone protector that short-circuits our body’s immune system allowing the microbes to grow undetected for years. No wonder so many patients are riddled with cancer by the time it is detected. But there is hope even for them.

Many opened their minds walked away from traditional cancer treatments and were healed!

Many real people who were diagnosed with cancer, suffered through harsh conventional treatments. Then they turned their backs on so called modern medicine and were healed by natural means!

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.