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Posts Tagged ‘Cancer’

People always want to have a healthy body and they can do a lot of things to keep their health. Actually, there are a lot of kinds of disease that can happen to you especially if you cannot manage your lifestyle well. Women should be careful because they can get a dangerous disease like breast cancer. So, if you are a woman who suffers breast cancer or you only a woman who need some information about breast cancer, you come to the right place now.

You should know that there are some breast cancer stages that divided into noninvasive tumor and invasive tumor. The invasive tumor divided localized stage, regional stage, and distant stage. You also need to give more attention to metastatic breast cancer because it can spread to other sites in the body so it can be more dangerous. For woman who suffering breast cancer, you can use herceptin as the breast cancer treatment. Herceptin is a therapy for women with breast cancer whose tumors have too much HER2 protein. Herceptin probably have some side effects and if you need more information about herceptin and breast cancer treatment, you will get it from herceptin.com.

Did you realize that approximately 10% of lung cancer patients have never in their lives smoked cigarettes? When asked about lung cancer prevention, most people will tell you that the easiest way to prevent lung cancer is to never take up the dangerous habit of cigarette smoking. And while it’s true that smoking often leads to lung cancer, the fact that 10% of lung cancer patients are not now nor have ever been smokers cannot be easily explained.

Cancer in its simplest definition is the potential end result of a mutation or alteration that occurs within a gene. And sometimes, there is just no way to stop (or prevent) a gene from changing, nor is there a way to control the genes you inherit. When one gene in particular, the epidermal growth factor receptor gene, undergoes a mutation, the mutation is such that it basically gives the green light for cancerous cells to grow and also to divide. Such a situation is totally unavoidable.

Unfortunately, taking lung cancer prevention steps won’t eliminate your chance of developing today’s number one cause of death. That’s not to say that it’s okay to continue certain risky behaviors. You should take whatever steps you can to control the risks in your life.

There’s no sure way to prevent lung cancer, but you can reduce your risk if you:

• Don’t smoke. If you’ve never smoked, don’t start. Talk to your children about not smoking, so they can understand how to avoid this major risk factor for lung cancer. Many current smokers began smoking in their teens. Begin conversations about the dangers of smoking with your children early, so they know how to react to peer pressure.
• Stop smoking. Stop smoking now. Quitting reduces your risk of lung cancer, even if you’ve smoked for years. Talk to your doctor about strategies and stop-smoking aids that can help you quit. Options include nicotine replacement products, medications and support groups.
• Avoid secondhand smoke. If you live or work with a smoker, urge him or her to quit. At the very least, ask him or her to smoke outside. Avoid areas where people smoke, such as bars and restaurants, and seek out smoke-free options.
• Test your home for radon. Have the radon levels in your home checked, especially if you live in an area where radon is known to be a problem. High radon levels can be remedied to make your home safer. For information on radon testing, contact your local department of public health or a local chapter of the American Lung Association.
• Avoid carcinogens at work. Take precautions to protect yourself from exposure to toxic chemicals at work. In the United States, your employer must tell you if you’re exposed to dangerous chemicals in your workplace. Follow your employer’s precautions. For instance, if you’re given a face mask for protection, always wear it. Ask your doctor what more you can do to protect yourself at work. Your risk of lung damage from these carcinogens increases if you smoke.
• Eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables. Choose a healthy diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables. Food sources of vitamins and nutrients are best. Avoid taking large doses of vitamins in pill form, as there may be unknown harms. For instance, researchers hoping to reduce the risk of lung cancer in heavy smokers gave them beta carotene supplements. Results showed the supplements actually increased the risk of cancer in smokers.
• Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Limit yourself to one drink a day if you’re a woman or two drinks a day if you’re a man. Anyone age 65 and older should drink no more than one drink a day.
• Exercise. Aim to achieve at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. Check with your doctor first if you aren’t already exercising regularly. Start out slowly and continue adding more activity. Biking, swimming and walking are good choices. Add exercise throughout your day — park farther away from work and walk the rest of the way or take the stairs rather than the elevator.

Lung tumor is the product of malignant cells forming in the tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining the air passages. The cells in our bodies are constantly dividing and reproducing. Usually, there’s an organized pattern to this reproduction as cells use and specialize to convene particular needs. Occasionally, however, a faction becomes smashed. There’s a mutation in its DNA, and instead than budding and final as is ordinary, it continues to mimic unimpeded. In essence, this is pest – uncontrolled reproduction and tumor of abnormal cells in the body.

Most lung cancers are assumed to father in the epithelial lining of the lungs – the linings of the large and small airways that perform the errand of extracting oxygen from the air. Because this, lung evil is sometimes called bronchogenic carcinoma – melanoma arising from the bronchia. A smaller percentage of lung cancers arise in the pleura – the emaciated tissue sac that surrounds the lungs. These cancers are called mesothelioma. The most frequent form of mesothelioma is related to asbestos exposure.

Lung cancer can cause complications, such as:

• Fluid in the chest (pleural effusion). Lung cancer can cause fluid to accumulate in the space that surrounds the lungs in the chest cavity (pleural space). Pleural effusion can result from cancer spreading outside the lungs or in reaction to lung cancer inside the lungs. Fluid accumulating in the chest can cause shortness of breath. Treatments are available to drain the fluid from your chest and reduce the risk that pleural effusion will occur again. Cancer that spreads to the pleura is considered inoperable, so surgery isn’t an option for treatment.
• Cancer that spreads to other parts of the body (metastasis). Lung cancer often spreads (metastasizes) to other parts of the body — most commonly the opposite lung, brain, bones, liver and adrenal glands. Cancer that spreads can cause signs and symptoms, including pain, nausea, headaches or others based on what organ is affected. In some cases, treatments are available for isolated metastasis, but in most cases, the goal of treatment for metastasis is only to relieve signs and symptoms.
• Death. Unfortunately, survival rates haven’t improved for people diagnosed with lung cancer. In most cases, the disease is fatal. Almost 60 percent, or three out of every five people, diagnosed with lung cancer die within a year. Keep in mind, however, that this number includes people diagnosed with all types of lung cancer at all stages of the disease. People diagnosed at the earliest stages have the greatest chances for a cure. Your doctor can discuss more relevant statistics about your chances for survival with you.

Lung cancer most commonly begins in the cells that line your lungs. Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers — both in smokers and in people exposed to secondhand smoke. But lung cancer also occurs in people who never smoked. In these cases, there may be no clear cause of lung cancer. Doctors have identified factors that may increase the risk.

How smoking causes lung cancer
Doctors believe smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells that line the lungs. When you inhale cigarette smoke, which is full of cancer-causing substances (carcinogens), changes in the lung tissue begin almost immediately. At first your body may be able to repair this damage. But with each repeated exposure, normal cells that line your lungs are increasingly damaged. Over time, the damage causes cells to act abnormally and eventually cancer may develop. Quitting at any age can significantly lower your risk of developing lung cancer.

Other Cause of lung cancer :

• Your sex. Current or former women smokers have a greater risk of lung cancer than do men who have smoked an equal amount. Though it isn’t known why, some experts speculate that women have a greater susceptibility to the cancer-causing substances found in tobacco. Others believe that estrogen may play a role. Women also are known to inhale more than men do, and they are less likely to quit.
• Exposure to secondhand smoke. Even if you don’t smoke, your risk of lung cancer increases if you’re exposed to secondhand smoke.
• Exposure to radon gas. Radon is produced by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water that eventually becomes part of the air you breathe. Although unsafe levels of radon can accumulate in any building, the greatest exposure risk most people face is at home. Radon testing can determine whether levels are safe.
• Exposure to asbestos and other chemicals. Workplace exposure to asbestos and other substances known to cause cancer — such as arsenic, chromium, nickel and tar soot — also can increase your risk of developing lung cancer, especially if you’re a smoker.
• Family history of lung cancer. People with a parent, sibling or other first-degree relative with lung cancer have an increased risk of the disease.
• Excessive alcohol use. Drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol — no more than one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men — may increase your risk of lung cancer.
• Diet. Scientists are studying many different foods to see how they may change the risk of getting lung cancer. However, any effect diet may have on lung cancer risk is small compared with the risk from smoking. Eating a lot of fat and cholesterol might increase risk of lung cancer.

Your lungs are full of blood vessels and lymph vessels, giving lung cancer cells easy access to travel to other parts of your body. For this reason, lung cancer may spread to other parts of your body before you experience any signs or symptoms. In many cases, lung cancer may spread before it can even be detected in the lungs.

Signs and symptoms of lung cancer may include:

• A new cough that doesn’t go away
• Changes in a chronic cough or “smoker’s cough”
• Coughing up blood, even a small amount
• Shortness of breath usually results from a blockage to the flow of air in part of the lung, collection of fluid around the lung (pleural effusion), or the spread of tumor throughout the lungs.
• Chest pain. The pain is dull, aching, and persistent and may involve other structures surrounding the lung.
• Wheezing
• Hoarseness
• Metastasis to the bones is most common with small cell type cancers but also occurs with other lung cancer types. Lung cancer that has metastasized to the bone causes bone pain, usually in the backbone (vertebrae), the thighbones, and the ribs.

Types of lung cancer
Doctors divide lung cancer into two major types based on the appearance of lung cancer cells under the microscope. Your doctor makes treatment decisions based on which major type of lung cancer you have. The two general types of lung cancer include:

• Small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung cancer, sometimes called oat cell carcinoma, occurs almost exclusively in heavy smokers and is less common than non-small cell lung cancer.
• Non-small cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer is an umbrella term for several types of lung cancers that behave in a similar way. Non-small cell lung cancers include squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma.

Once a diagnosis of lung cancer has been made, the doctor will attempt to determine the stage the lung cancer is at. The staging system is somewhat like a measurement system, with the numbers indicating: whether the cancerous tumors are localized or whether the tumors have spread to other parts of the body; the tumor’s size; and whether or not the tumors have spread to the lymph nodes. There are four main stages of lung cancer (Stages 1 – 4) and identification of one of the stages is what helps doctors prescribe an appropriate treatment method.

Different Cancer, Different Stages of Lung Cancer

The staging system is a bit more complicated than simply assigning a number. First of all, the stage numbering system differs slightly depending on whether the lung cancer has been diagnosed as small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer is the more common form and it progresses more slowly than the other type. Non-small lung cancer can be broken down into 4 stages. Stage 1 means that the tumor is local; it has not spread to the lymph nodes. Adding the letter A or B to the stage 1 classification indicates the size of the tumor (“A” means it is less than 3 cm across) and whether it’s larger and growing in a sensitive area (“B”). Stage 2 means the tumor has spread into lymph nodes or the chest wall. Again, an “A” and “B” designation determines the size and the location of the tumor. Stage 3 is more complicated and can mean several things. For example, it can indicate that the tumor has spread, but it’s still only affecting one side of the lung, or that tumors have spread to other nearby body parts such as the chest wall, or that fluid is collecting in the lungs. Stage 4 is of course the worst stage and means that cancerous tumors have spread into a whole other part of the body like the pelvis or liver.

Small-Cell Cancer

In cases of small-cell cancer, there are two stages of lung cancer – Stage 1 and Stage 2. These stages are used to designate whether the cancerous cells are limited in number or whether there exists an extensive amount that have invaded the chest and other parts of the body. When they’re limited in number, patients have a good chance of receiving effective treatment and possibly even resuming a near normal life. An extensive amount however, means treatment options are very limited.

The Staging Challenge

Although the stages of lung cancer seem well-defined, categorizing a person’s cancer into one of these stages is often challenging. Each case of cancer involves so many different factors and the combination of factors can be interpreted in many different ways by different doctors. Proper diagnosis and classification takes time and may take several rounds of testing. CT scans, MRIs, blood tests, bone scans and even testing the pleural effusion (if present) may all be needed.