Cancer symptoms and Diagnosis

All cancer patients suffer a lot and have to go through complicated procedures and proper treatment to ensure that the disease can be dealt with. However, till just a couple of decades back most patients died from cancer. With excellent developments in technology cancer has become a disease which can be easily treated and that is excellent news for a lot of patients. But do you wish you could look for signs of cancer so that you can deal with it very early on? There are certain symptoms which you can look for which might diagnose any sign of cancer early on.

First of all, women and girls need to be taught the importance of looking for early signs of breast cancer. It is the most potent form of cancer that has been affecting women and girls and it is difficult to know at what age this might start. You can start with being cautious. If you feel a lump near your breasts or underarm than instantly have it checked out. High chances are that it will just be some kind of a boil but in some cases you can prevent any form of infection from spreading if you deal with it very early on in the day.

All women need to go for checkups because cancer can also affect other parts of the body like the cervix. Proper check up and treatment just might help stop that. If you are getting a splitting headache which is blinding and extreme then go in for a checkup for tumors in brain. Of course there have been cases when cancer patients did not have many signs to look for before being afflicted with the disease but you can always stay safe. Stop smoking too much or avoid company of people who smoke to reduce chances of lung cancer.

Cervical Cancer: What it is and How to Prevent It

Although most causes of cancer could not be ascertained, two cancers that doctors know the causes of are cancer of the liver and the cervix. This is good news because it means it is possible for women to prevent cervical cancer, a killer that hits one woman every two minutes across the world. The virus behind 99.7% of cervical cancers is known as the Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV. This is the same virus that causes warts to break out on other parts of the body, but just because you may have warts does not mean you are cursed to have cervical cancer. Only 15 to 20% of HPV types that affect humans are said to be cancer-causing. The virus that results in warts on hands and feet are fortunately not the same virus type that causes the cancer.

This means that the best way to prevent cervical cancer is to minimize, or if possible, eliminating, the spread of the HPV types that are oncogenic. However, it is not simple because infection with this virus typically does not cause symptoms right away.

This is why screening at an early stage is crucial, as catching it in its pre-cancerous stage still has it curable. Factors that increase a woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer include the following: having warts in the anal and genial areas; having sex early in life, usually just after getting your period; having or having had STD or any of your partners having it; being a smoker or being regularly exposed to second-hand smoke; having used diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy or when your mother was pregnant with you; having five or more children; and a generally poor resistance to diseases.

Meanwhile, the virus is transmitted through various ways. The first one is by sexual contact, since the types of HPV that are oncogenic also infect the genital area. This makes the virus a sexually-transmitted one, and this is perhaps why most women do not get treatment early on from embarrassment at admitting to having STD.

Non-sexual transmission is also possible, usually through skin-to-skin contact of private parts. Heredity is also a factor, as the virus can be passed from mother to baby. And the last, still debatable mode of transmission is by passing through contaminated undergarments, biopsy forceps, and even surgical gloves.

Whether or not you find yourself at high risk, it is best to do the following to keep yourself in check early on:

1. Getting a Pap smear is crucial, since this is the standard for screening cervical cancer. Of course, it tends to be expensive and it take a while for the results to come in, but at least you get a certain level of peace of mind when the pathologists returns the results to you.

2. Living a healthy lifestyle is another key to prevention. This way, you will have your immune system at peak to help you ward off diseases. You can boost up your body’s defense system with regular exercise, enough sleep, not smoking or drinking, and making sure you go for your routine medical examinations.

3. Getting vaccinated is also another way to prevent the spread of the HPV virus. Although the vaccines do not necessarily prevent the cervical cancer itself, it can help you fight against the most common type of oncogenic HPV. Of course, doctors admit that the currently available vaccine is still not enough for all the cancer-causing types of HPV, at least it lessens your risk. It just means that it is no time to be licentious just because you have gotten yourself vaccinated. You should still continue to go for your regular checkups. Interestingly, experts determine that the best time to get the first vaccination is before anyone ever has her first sexual intercourse!

Hopefully these simple principles behind making sure you detect any cancer-causing HPV in your system early will help you avoid this silent killer. After all, that is what makes it more complicated, since the disease does not usually show symptoms until it is in its later stages, and usually too late for an effective cure. In any case, being aware of the ways to detect it early on and making sure you are at least vaccinated against the most common types should at least up your chances of not contracting the disease.

Important Information about Asbestos and Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare aggressive cancerous disease of the mesothelium, which is a type of protective tissue that surrounds organs found in the thoracic and abdominal cavity such as the lungs, heart, liver, and abdominal organs. Most of the time, cancer does not occur with a single cause; rather it is a group of diseases with multiple causes, symptoms, treatments, and prognosis. But in the unique case of mesothelioma, there is a specific cause for this cancer which is asbestos.

Risk Factors

Several agents or factors are implicated in the development of mesothelioma. However, generally, asbestos is still the leading cause of mesothelioma.

Virus
In very rare situations, a Simian vacuolating virus (SV40) may act as a carcinogen and potentiate asbestos in causing malignant mesothelioma. The SV40 is a highly controversial virus due to the contamination of polio vaccines between the year 1955 and 1963. Millions of people in the United States were said to be exposed to the virus.
However, there is no clear evidence yet whether SV40 is responsible for certain mesotheliomas.

Erionite (Zeolite)

Exposure to erionate, a type of zeolite mineral which has similar properties with asbestos, is suggested to be one of the causes of mesothelioma in some villages in Turkey.

Radiation

Therapeutic radiation using thorium oxide (thorotrast) has been reported to increase the risk of developing pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma in certain people.

Smoking

Smoking alone is not considered to affect the development of mesothelioma, however, when smoking is combined with asbestos exposure, the risk of having mesothelioma significantly increases.

Asbestos

For several decades, asbestos remains the primary cause of the development of mesothelioma and a number of lung diseases. Inhalation of the particles is the most common route of entry, which is why most cases of mesothelioma occur in people working in the asbestos industry.

A Closer Look on Asbestos

Asbestos is the given name of a certain family of minerals that occur in fibrous form. These fibers can be processed into a variety of materials that are uniquely resistant to fire, heat, and corrosion. Asbestos can be spun and woven into textiles, matted into insulating materials, or used with other substances to make numerous products, including brake linings, clutch pads, and roofing and flooring materials. Because of these, asbestos is almost irreplaceable as no other substance provides its desirable properties.

Nevertheless, manufacturers are developing replacement materials because of the issues surrounding the production of asbestos products. Inhalation of asbestos’ very minute fibers over a period as little as one to two months has been linked to cancers of the lung, lung-cavity lining or mesothelioma, asbestosis, and severe lung impairment.

Types of Asbestos

There are two general varieties of asbestos: serpentine and amphibole.

Serpentine

Chrysotile, obtained from serpentine rocks, is the most abundant and widely used form of asbestos accounting for 90% of asbestos used for production of new materials.

Amphibole

Amphiboles are long, thin fibers that are more potent in causing lung cancer and associated diseases. Amphiboles include amosite (brown asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite. Among these, crocidolite is the more potent carcinogen which is due to its rod-like appearance that enables the fiber to easily penetrate the lungs and into the pleura. They may cause irritation and long-term inflammation of the mesothelium altering cellular structures leading to cancer. Asbestos can also cause the production of free radicals that damage cells that further potentiate cancer growth. It has been suggested that some of the fibers may be coughed up and swallowed into the gastrointestinal tract. In this way, asbestos can cause peritoneal (abdominal) mesothelioma.

People who are working with asbestos have the highest risk of contracting mesothelioma. But family members of these workers may also incur the disease due to particles that may be carried along with the worker’s clothing and hair. Aside from that, those who are residing in a room with products built from asbestos are likely to inhale the particles without knowing it. Houses and structure built in the late 1800s to mid 1900s are more prone to use such materials because asbestos has been widely used commercially during this period. The latency period of mesothelioma can last between 20 to 50 years following exposure to asbestos.

Diagnosis

Mesothelioma must be diagnosed using the medical history of a person and adiologic studies such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI, and PET scans. But because mesothelioma may mimic several lung conditions, there may be a need for chest tube thoracostomy, pericardiocentesis, or paracentesis depending on the location of the tumour. A biopsy will confirm the diagnosis of mesothelioma. The disease will be staged according to the TNM system: tumor (T), lymph node involvement (N), and metastasis (M).
Unfortunately, most cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed when it is already at its late stage. Treatment options vary depending on the staging and extent of metastasis. Surgery in adjunct to radiation and chemotherapy are the best options available. In advanced stages, treatment would be difficult; hence, palliative (supportive) care is rendered to treat the symptoms. However the disease itself is still there.

Despite the many dangers of asbestos usage, many people are still exposed to asbestos especially in countries like India, China, and Russia. The Environmental protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that 3,000 to 12,000 cases of cancer, usually fatal, are caused annually in the United States by asbestos exposure. But controversies continue to surround the issue of asbestos as a health hazard. Thousands of asbestos-related diseases and mortalities have been documented and yet, some countries have not placed any ban on asbestos products.

Symptoms and Causes of Mesothelioma

The protective tissue that covers serous membranes of the lungs, heart, and abdominal organs is called the mesothelium. Depending on its location, the mesothelium may be called as the pleura¬, the membrane surrounding the lungs; pericardium, the sac that protects the heart; and the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the abdominal organs. When a person has mesothelioma or the cancer of the mesothelium, the organs mentioned above are most likely affected.

It has been suggested that the pathogenesis of mesothelioma begins when a person inhales asbestos fibers that may lodge deep into the lungs that may penetrate the pleural linings. This deposition of the asbestos fibers is recognized by the immune system that causes the attraction of macrophages (special types of white blood cells) leading to localized inflammation and cellular changes. This will eventually lead to the formation of a malignant tumor that is very difficult to treat.

There are 3 types of mesothelioma, pericardial, pleural, and peritoneal mesothelioma. Basically, it is a similar disease process but the symptoms may vary because of its distinct location. There is also a possibility that various types may occur simultaneously.

Pleural Mesothelioma

Pleural mesothelioma means that the tumour arises from the pleura or the delicate membrane enclosing the lungs. The pleura can be divided into two layers--the visceral pleura, the layer that covers the lung, and the parietal pleura, which line the chest wall. In between, there is a space that holds a small volume of fluid that serves as a lubricant, making it possible for the two layers to slide efficiently over each other as the lungs expand and contract with each respiration.

Because of lung involvement, pleural mesothelioma manifests as lung problems. The person may experience pleural effusion, or the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the spaces between the two layers of pleural membrane. This may manifest as shortness of breath, non-productive cough, chest wall pain, and difficulty of breathing. Mesothelioma that affects the pleura may also cause fever, fatigue, blood in the sputum, anemia, and subsequent weight loss.

Majority of mesothelioma cases affects the pleura, making up 70% of all mesothelioma.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma that develops in the membrane that lines the entire abdominal cavity is termed as peritoneal mesothelioma. Also known as abdominal mesothelioma, this type of cancer may cause severe abdominal pain and swelling due to the build up of intraperitoneal fluid within the peritoneal membrane called, ascites. This may also cause fever and increase in abdominal girth. A person may experience changes in bowel habits such as diarrhea and constipation which will eventually lead to weight loss.
Typically, the manifestations of mesothelioma appear 20 to 50 following exposure to asbestos.

Pericardial Mesothelioma

Another type of mesothelial tissue is found on the sac covering the heart for protection and lubrication. This is called the pericardium.

Similar to the abovementioned mesothelial tissues, the pericardium may also become affected with mesothelioma. This type is very deadly as this already involves the major organ of circulation. However, this form of mesothelioma is very uncommon and makes up about 1-5% of the total diagnosed cases.

The development of pericardial mesothelioma is not clearly understood. One theory is that asbestos particles may be transported from the lungs to the bloodstream which may lodge to the linings of the heart and cause chronic inflammation leading to cancerous tumour growth. This may cause rapid expansion of the pericardial sac resulting to the accumulation of fluid called pericardial effusion. A person may experience chest pain, palpitations, irregular heart beat (arrhythmia), and some degree of difficulty of breathing. The cancerous growths may also metastatize (spread) to nearby organs such as the lungs.
Causes

The special thing about mesothelioma is that this cancer has a specific cause--asbestos.

Exposure to asbestos, may it be from one’s occupation, environment, and asbestos products, has been considered a major risk factor for the development of mesothelioma.

Occupational Hazards

Working in the asbestos industry has posed a number of health risks for the workers and their families. Several illnesses have already been linked to asbestos inhalation such as lung and throat cancer, gastrointestinal tumors, diffuse pleural thickening, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. Family members of workers in asbestos factories also have an increased risk of developing these ailments because of the dust particles that may have settled in the worker’s clothing and hair.

Product Exposure

Asbestos has been widely used around the globe because of its useful properties. It is present in a wide array of materials such as vinyl asbestos tile, drywall jointing compounds, plaster, cement panels, brakes pads, shoes, insulation in floors, ceiling, pipes, ducts, and walls, fireproofing, gaskets and many more products. Through these materials, the public may be put at risk for asbestos exposure. A good example for this is the destruction of the World Trade Center that was thought to release a lot of asbestos particles in the air. But even without such happenings, as long as asbestos exists in home and building materials, people are being killed silently.

Because of the long-term and fatal effects of asbestos and to put to an end the damages caused by asbestos to people, it has been banned by many countries including Australia (2003), France (1997), Italy (1992), Japan (2004), New Zealand (1984), and United Kingdom (2006). Several nations and environmental groups have also imposed policies and controls in asbestos handling and disposal.

How dangerous is cancer?

Needless to say, cancer is a dangerous disease and has been labeled as a very common cause because of which a lot of people die everyday. There has been a lot of speculation on how difficult and dangerous cancer is. And that is true because patients have to go through a lot to survive the disease. But if you are diagnosed with cancer and have given up all hopes on survival then you are probably mistaken. There have been so many miracle stories where people have braved cancer or fought the battle for an incredibly long time because of sheer strength of mind.

You cannot treat cancer by yourself because complicated procedures, therapies and a lot more is involved. You most certainly need to go a physician who will recommend a cancer specialist. There are many institutions all across the world, primarily dedicated to the cause of treating cancer and if your medical insurance is in order then you can try your luck in such institutions which have some of the best doctors, very well equipped to deal with cancer. It is also important for all patients to remember and keep in mind that a lot of expense is required and it is important to keep your hopes high.

If you are a cancer patient you will be going through a lot. You will feel weak, look weak, feel disheartened and have a lot of complicated therapies conducted on you. But do not compromise on who you are and feel hopeful even if you are all worn out because the mind controls the body. If you can cheat your mind into feeling stronger then you might just emerge out of the entire process a winner and this has been a time tested method that has worked on a lot of cancer patients.