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Cancer Prevention

Cancer Prevention comes down to a Will to Exercise – Nothing more, Nothing Less

Anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis for oneself or for a loved one never forgets the moment they discover it. They keep going back to wonder if there’s something they could have done that could of made a difference. There actually are quite a few things that can prevent cancer quite effectively. Cancer isn’t something you’re destined to have most of the time. There are all kinds of ways in which you could take control into your own hands. Exercise, for instance, happens to be one of the most powerful cancer prevention weapons ever – especially breast cancer and colon cancer. If you feel that it couldn’t be any use taking up exercise if you’ve put it off for far too long, that’s hardly the way to think about it. Exercise helps in delaying the onset of cancer no matter when you start.

But you probably need a little more information about the cancer prevention abilities of exercise before you actually can work up some enthusiasm for a workout. Here we go.

Let’s start with cancer of the lining of the uterus – the endometrium. Women who are at risk of endometrial cancer will find that they can cut down their risk by a full third with just 20 minutes of exercise a day. That’s what the Yale School of Public Health says. Exercise this way for long enough and bring your body mass index down below 25, and you lower your level of risk by 75%. That’s cancer prevention for you at no cost.

As far as preventable cancers go, the colon and rectum offer themselves up to be protected far more easily than almost any other form of cancer. All you need is to have no more than one drink a day, give up smoking, get that waistline under 35 inches if you are a woman (you get an extra 5 inches if you are a man) and exercise 30 minutes a day. That’s what the British Medical Journal says. Who would want to argue with that?

Women who have a history of breast cancer in the family get so freaked out by the kind of risk they face that they sometimes go get preemptive mastectomies. That’s right, they go in and ask for surgery to remove their breasts even before they have breast cancer. That’s how worried they are. There could be a much better way though – all they would have to do would be to exercise 20 minutes a day in a vigorous fashion and make sure that they drop any unhealthy lifestyle habits. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve put it off. If you are 65 and you have really been taking it easy sitting in front of the TV for about five years, you still could really help your chances getting on that treadmill 20 minutes every day.

There’s just no reason to sit there worrying about cancer anymore. You have the power of cancer prevention in your hands.

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Robert S. is a contributing writer who has many interests including home services, self improvement, building web sites and more! You can see his articles on Air Duct Cleaning Toronto and Self Improvement 101.

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Developing An Understanding Of The Stage 4 Neuroblastoma Disease In Children

At some basic level, we all have an underlying fear of facing cancer in any form, from the identification of abnormal symptoms to the dreaded diagnosis of cancer, and then dealing with cancer treatments. Well, imagine being a mere child and facing the prospect of that same set of steps with Neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma stage 4 is a cancer that has spread to the body’s other areas – such as the bones, lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver, skin or potentially other vital organs.

If you are the parent of a child diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the fourth stage, read on for an overview of the disease, information on stage 4 and how the disease is treated.

About Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is the most common form of cancer in infants and the third most typical cancer for children. However, there are only 650 cases of the disease diagnosed each year in the United States. Ninety percent of those cases are discovered in children under the age of 7.

A third of all neuroblastoma instances develop in the adrenal glands, and another third start in the sympathetic nervous system ganglia in the abdomen. The remaining cases typically start in the neck, chest or pelvis sympathetic ganglia regions.

Survival Rates

With most cases of neuroblastoma, the five year survival rate for children under the age of 1 is an impressive 83%. For kids between 1 and 4, it’s 55% and for children 5 and older, only 40%.

But children with stage 4 neuroblastoma normally have much lower survival rates. They hover between 50% and 80% for infants (under a year old) and drop to 15% for children over the age of 1.

Treatment for Neuroblastoma Stage 4

Children at high risk, such as those diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, often require very intensive chemotherapy and possibly surgery, and stem cell transplants for marrow support. First, surgery is used to remove the tumor, but then chemotherapy must be employed for the remainder of the spread cancer cells.

In most cases, treatment involves a combination of medications. The main drugs used to treat children with neuroblastoma are cisplatin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, etoposide and topotecan. These drugs produce a positive response in two thirds of children.

In certain cases, particularly when the cancer has spread too far to be completely removed by surgery – as is the case with the fourth stage of neuroblastoma – chemotherapy is the primary treatment.

Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplants

Because high-dosage chemotherapy will wipe out bone marrow, new blood cells are no longer being developed, so children are at a high risk. Because kids diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma must often undergo intense chemotherapy sessions, they should also be prepared for a bone marrow transplant and/or a secondary blood stem cell transplant.

Treatments of Radiation

Typically, radiation treatments are used as a final attempt to kill any remaining neuroblastoma stage 4 cells after surgery on an affected area.

However, with neuroblastoma stage 4, it’s rarely used unless in conjunction with chemotherapy or as a method of relieving the pain for children suffering from advanced cases of neuroblastoma.

Mesothelioma Patient has a Grim Prognosis

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that starts in the lungs’ linings. Experts now know that its main cause is being exposed to asbestos. There are about three thousand new cases reported every year in the United States. Roughly 8,000,000 people have been exposed to asbestos in the last (50) years. Beginning a few decades ago, safety measures were put in place so that asbestos exposure was at first minimized and eventually will be nonexistent. Because of this, some experts believe that mesothelioma will continue to be prevalent until about 2020, and that thereafter it will begin to decline. By then, asbestos exposure should be quite rare.

As with any cancer, it is imperative that the mesothelioma patient is treated as early as possible for best survival odds. However, those who have mesothelioma are at a disadvantage because of the time factor. In many cases, patients first diagnosed with mesothelioma actually had their exposures 20 to 50 years prior. Because of this, patients are usually over the age of 50. In addition, first symptoms are nebulous and can be attributed to many things, which means that diagnosis is very difficult. Because of this, mesothelioma can be quite advanced once it is detected. There is no fully effective treatment available to cure mesothelioma. However, most experts believe that monotherapy is less effective than combination therapy in treating this disease. Mesothelioma treatments continue to be researched.

Studies focusing on mesothelioma survival rate show dismal results, with a mortality rate of almost 100%. Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma survive, on average, six months to two years. However, there are exceptions, which continue to give other mesothelioma patients and their families hope. Patients’ life expectancy depends on many things, including the state of advancement at diagnosis (mesothelioma has four stages), as well as the type of mesothelioma diagnosed. Tissue structures were tested to find the type of cells within, and it was found that sarcomatous cells put the patient’s median survival rate at about 11 months, with 11 months for mixed cells and 12.5 months for epithelial cells.

However, there are other ways to positively influence survival rate if someone has mesothelioma. Approximately 9% of mesothelioma patients survive five years after diagnosis, which shows that there are people who do survive over the long-term with this type of cancer. In some cases, these patients are symptom free. Research continues, so that one day a cure may be found.

If a patient is otherwise healthy at time of diagnosis, then his or her survival rate will be favorably impacted. In addition, if the tumor can be removed fully and is smaller versus larger, this is also going to positively influence survival rate. The amount of fluid in the chest cavity at time of diagnosis is also important. The type of cells present such as was described above is also important. Survival rate is likely to be poor if the cancer has recurred versus whether it has been newly diagnosed.

If you have mesothelioma or a family member does, it’s important to focus on hope. The Internet is a great resource if you find yourself in this situation. You can find groups online with others in the same situation, and support and encouragement with this disease is important. In addition, you’ll be privy to the latest treatments available for the disease. This can make a trying situation much easier to deal with from day to day.  The doctor or your health care practitioner will also likely have resources that can assist you.

Having Symptoms of Mesothelioma Cancer can claim you as a Victim.

Oklahoma City Mesothelioma injury Victims Drowning in Asbestos.

If your a victim Consult Oklahoma City Mesothelioma Attorneys for your Settlement.

Some General Symptoms Of Cancer

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the cells of female and male breast tissue. Breast cancer is more common in women, but men do get breast cancer as well.

Breast Cancer Facts

Usually, the first sign of breast cancer is a lump in the breast. Everyone, especially women, is advised to regularly check their breasts for lumps and bumps to catch it early if they are unfortunate enough to get breast cancer. Finding a lump in the breast is usually the first thing women do before they go for a check with the doctor.

After a lump has been felt, a doctor/physician will do a common mammogram and will then be able to confirm whether or not it is in fact breast cancer. Lumps are not always fund in the breast, they can also be found in what is known as the lymph nodes that can be found in the collarbone or the armpits.

Symptoms of Cancer

There are other ways to look out for breast cancer other than looking for a lump. Keeping an eye out on changes in the breast shape or size can also be an indication in some cases. Some women have had skin dimpling, nipple discharge and nipple inversion as signs of breast cancer.

Whether you end up getting breast cancer later in life can be determined or factored by certain hereditary and environmental factors. Here are some of the factors that may determine who may get breast cancer over other people:

Genetic mutations such as high level exposure of estrogens.

· Inherited DNA defects

While these can show us some pattern towards those that get breast cancer, it certainly doesn’t rule out every woman in the world. The age, sex, hormones, alcohol habit, smoking habit, obesity, high fat diets, radiation and other factors may make you more at risk of breast cancer.

Mammography checks have now become a routine procedure in many countries as this is simply the easiest and the quickest way to determine whether or not a woman has breast cancer.

It is usually around the age of 40 or 50 when women are invited to have regular screening appointments. Some women still choose not to go, even though these screenings save lives and reduce the risk of not surviving breast cancer. The earlier that breast cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat.

Breast cancer is a big fear throughout every woman’s life. Support will always be necessary if you find out you have breast cancer. There are many fantastic support groups usually set up by women who are suffering or who have already been through it and won. These support groups are vital for breast cancer information and to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

It is important to understand what is going to happen to you if you do have breast cancer. You can find this out from your doctor, but there is nothing better than hearing it from someone who has or is going through it themselves.

All Different Types Of Cancer – Ovarian Cancer Stages

If you look around in current health articles, cancer has become one of the worried topics. The all different types of cancer include ovarian cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer and so on. For women, it is better to arm themselves with  knowledge. For man, especially those who smokes should learn more about lung cancer. Cancer as a modern days deadly disease has causes chaos in the human race. Medical reseekingers express an opinion that cancer to be a “metabolic disease”. Metabolic diseases are those diseases that affect the metabolism rate of our body. Thus, cancer as a disease affects the human cells in the body.

Cells as in biology definition are microscopic living units in the body, which form all living organs in the body. Meaning, at any given time or state, the human body is made up of a billion cells that make up the human organs.

The accepted cells divide and develop to a certain level and then they die after a little time. But, cancer is a irregular and unusual cells crop up in the our body. Unlike the accepted cells which follow the accepted rate of growth and division, cancer cells grow and spread in the our body at an terrifying and fast rate. The cancer cells keep on dividing and continue growing on. As a result, cancer cells start getting clumped together, which in turn creates a tumor. Cancer is a deadly disease that affects the our cells.

It is said that cancer actually is a situation in the body when the cells turn, “trophoblastic”. Trophoblastic is a situation in the human body, when the cells in the human body tend to produce at a more quickly rate than the normal. This situation can be explained for example, when a human body gets an external or internal injury, then the cells of the human body start the curing process, by starting to produce. In case, the cells are in a trophoblastic situation, then although the cells start curing, but they don’t stop produceing, thereby causing a lump. This in medical term is also called as a tumor. This lump goes numb even if the body controls the growth of the trophoblastic cells and shows to be highly injurious if the cells keep spreading. The removal of such tumor would rather lead to the uncontrolled growth of those trophoblastic cells, because of more effected sited due to the operation, and thus result in increasing the cancer.

There are few therapies that really work for cancer. The known medical therapies for cancer today are radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Yet neither radiation therapy is useful due to the fact it causes more wounded parts and thus increases the cancer cells, nor chemotherapy is 100% effective because it adversely effects the immune system of the body and the body holds no more contunued ability  of natural healing.

Information On Skin Cancer and Symptoms

 

Skin Cancer is one of the most common skin cancers. Approximately 1 in 6 people will develop skin cancer. Most medical experts all agree that overexposure to sunlight is the cause. Other factors include sunburn with blistering especially during childhood, skin creams that contain tar if used over a prolonged period, repeated X-rays, exposure to coal and arsenic, radiation, chemotherapy and family history. Freckles with fair skin that doesn’t tan very easily can also put one at risk.

Most skin cancers grow slowly. It is imperative you inspect your body on a regular basis for any skin cancer symptoms. Stand in front of a full length mirror and with a hand held mirror check out every inch of your skin. Have someone check the top of your head as well. You should know your body in detail, so that when something different rears its ugly head, you notice it immediately!

Watch for any unusual spots. Look for lesions, moles or spots that are asymmetrical in shape. Observe for any colored spot that grows bigger or develops an uneven color or irregular, ragged edge. Look for any nodules or patches that are red and scaly, as this can be a squamous cell carcinoma which can metastasize (spread). Other symptoms to look for are changes in the surface of a mole. If you notice the mole is raised above the skin and has a rough surface, is scaly, oozing, bleeding or there is development of bumps on any mole, seek medical attention. In other words anything that develops that wasn’t on your body before should be investigated by your physician.

Skin cancer has a high cure rate if caught early. Excision of the lesion is the most common treatment. Self examination is the key to early detection with a regular visit to your doctor for check ups.

The best methods to avoid skin cancers are to avoid the sun, especially during the hottest part of the day from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wear a sunscreen if you are out doors with an SPF of at least 15 or more, applied thirty minutes before going into the sun. Put the sunscreen everywhere the suns rays will hit you. Don’t forget your ears and men don’t forget any bald areas on top of your head. If you have to be out in the sun, use a wide brimmed hat or cap. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun. Choose sunglasses that protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Sunglasses can help prevent cataracts as well. Wear long sleeve shirts and pants if it is not sweltering hot, to better protect your body. Don’t use tanning salons as they can damage your skin just like the sun.

Of course there is the controversy that you need some sun in order NOT to be vitamin D deficient. Ask your doctor to prescribe a good vitamin D supplement. Your doctor can advise the proper dose to take. I know it is hard at times to completely avoid the sun. A few minutes of sun occasionally with a good sun screen, should not be too harmful, as long as you watch the time of day and check your body on a regular basis. Also too much sun can cause wrinkles. Avoidance is best, but not always possible. Therefore, just be very careful and examine your body regularly (once a month). Seek medical attention immediately when you notice any any of the above signs.