Men's Health Blog » Cancer

LEARNING ABOUT CANCER: DISEASE DESCRIPTION

admin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:00:51 +0000

Cancer is any malignant growth. Other names for cancer are carcinoma, sarcoma; and occasionally there are special types of cancer such as epithelioma. The term “oma” is used to refer to a new growth. Cancer is also referred to by the term neoplasm, which means new growth. Occasionally, cancers are called malignancies, because of their malignant growth character. The exact causes which initiate the sudden, rapid growth of cells and their migration into other parts of the body are not known. We know that irritation from broken teeth or the constant heat and pressure associated with smoking, particularly of pipes, may start the cancer on the mouth or lip. Irritations anywhere in the body may start a cancer. Early recognition of cancer is of utmost importance. Any sore on the mouth of more than two days duration should be regarded with suspicion. Hoarseness which lasts more than a few days should arouse suspicion of some chronic condition affecting the vocal cords.

Any discomfort, pain, thickening or lump in the breast of a man or woman or any discharge from the nipple, particularly a bloody discharge, should mean an immediate examination.

Difficulty in swallowing, loss of appetite, constant discomfort, nausea, diarrhea or the appearance of blood in the bowel movement should demand thorough investigation, including study with the X-ray.

Persistent pain in the bones in people of any age means either a serious infection or a growth. Immediate use of the X-ray will help determine the nature of the trouble.

Slight bleeding at irregular intervals from the female sex organs is a dangerous sign. Every woman beyond the age of 35 should have an examination once every year by the doctor to determine whether or not any changes have occurred. The Papanicolaou or “Pap” test involves taking a scraping from the cervix or mouth of the uterus and examining under the microscope.

Many new developments have been made in detecting cancer and in treating it. Still of primary importance are the application of surgery, X-ray and radium. For cancers related to the blood, such as leukemia, new drags have been found which can reduce the number of white blood cells. New types of irradiation involving the cobalt bomb and high-voltage have been applied for special forms of cancer. Cancer of the brain is diagnosed by the neurologist, and special radioactive dye substances have been found which localize in cancer tissue.

Radioactive isotopes are being used in the treatment of cancer, including isotopes of gold and strontium, and radioactive iodine is used in treating cancer of the thyroid.

Discoveries have been made relating to control of cancer, particularly of the breast and of the prostate, by hormone substances. The male sex hormone is used in cancer of the breast and the female sex hormone in cancer of the prostate gland.

A new operative procedure has been tried, consisting of the removal of the adrenal glands and also removal of the pituitary gland, to control rapidly-growing cancers.

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CHANGING THE HORMONE BALANCE BY REMOVING OR DESTROYING GLANDS – REMOVAL OR DESTRUCTION OF THE PITUITARY GLAND

admin — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:51:54 +0000

Removal or destruction of the pituitary gland is sometimes recommended for the treatment of cancers whose growth is likely to be stimulated by male or female hormones. It is a very drastic way of changing the balance of sex hormones and a method that I would never agree to for myself.
Your pituitary gland is inside your skull bone just behind your eyes and above and behind your nose. The pituitary can actually be removed only by a major operation through the outside of the skull. It is easier to destroy it, by putting ice cold probes or radioactive substances or alcohol into it via the nose.
The pituitary gland controls the thyroid gland, and adrenal glands as well as the ovaries and testes. It also produces some hormones of its own, including one which helps to control the mineral and water balance (anti-diuretic hormone or A.D.H. for short).
Without a pituitary gland, all of the glands which are controlled by it become inactive. Therefore, if your pituitary gland is removed or destroyed, you would have to take thyroid hormone and corticosteroids for the rest of your life. You would have all the symptoms of lack of male or female hormones. You would also be likely to suffer from lack of A.D.H., the main symptom of which is passing very large amounts of very watery urine. Replacement A.D.H. cannot be taken in tablet form but only as injections or as a spray or powder squirted into the nose.
If your pituitary gland is removed or destroyed, you must carry a card or wear a bracelet stating this at all times. It is essential that any doctors treating you in an emergency know that you need all the hormones normally controlled by the pituitary gland.
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SMOKING AND CANCER: WHAT IS TO BE DONE?

admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:50:30 +0000

Our recommendations for avoiding these common cancers are easy and obvious. People should avoid smoking and help others to avoid it too. How can this advice be carried forward? We do not pretend that giving up smoking is an easy matter. One of the authors knows only too well how daunting and frustrating the struggle may be. The smoking of a cigarette delivers nicotine to the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord) in less than ten seconds, satisfying the chemical dependence of the addict. Smoking is, however, a complex addiction that extends beyond chemical dependence. The psychological ‘rewards’ enjoyed by the smoker are many and varied.
Once started, the act of smoking can acquire many psychologically rewarding associations with particular settings or circumstances, which then serve in their turn to trigger the act of smoking. Once it is learned, for example, that smoking a cigarette with a cup of coffee at the end of a good meal is accompanied by feelings of well-being and relaxation, any cup of coffee may become a signal to smoke. Smoking can also become associated with relief from anxiety. A cigarette then becomes a prop in any stressful situation, if only to provide something to do with the hands.
The problem for the smoker who wants to stop for sensible health reasons is that the more distant danger of cancer at a furore date seems much less compelling than the immediate pleasures and psychological rewards that he or she gets from today’s quota of cigarettes.
Research has shown that public-information programmes on the risks of smoking do not, by themselves, persuade many people to stop smoking. Individuals may either try to avoid the information if they find it threatening or, even if they accept it, fail to accept its relevance to their Own circumstances. They will point, for example, to the fact that non-smokers get cancer and that not all smokers succumb to the disease, persuading themselves that they may be in mat happy category of people who will escape the risks and be able to puff away into a ripe old age.
- In the final analysis, people have to be motivated by an individual need or desire to stop smoking. It has been established that the great majority of those who have given up smoking have done soon their own, without assistance from professionals in the field of health care. Support from family, friends and colleagues, or membership of a support group of other smokers who are trying to give up the habit, will undoubtedly help. Individuals in a support group are understanding of their common problem and can reinforce one another’s need and desire to stop smoking.
The recognition that smoking involves an acquired response to particular settings or circumstances can also help those who wish to break the habit. They will realize that, although they may associate cigarettes with pleasant cups of coffee or alcoholic drinks, or with feelings of relief from anxiety in particular settings, they do not, as a rule, even wish to smoke in other situations. They can, for example, survive quite happily without the urge to light up in church or in other settings that have never been associated with smoking. Some people who are trying to give up smoking find it helpful to keep track of the number of cigarettes smoked each day and of their situation and mood at the time each is smoked. In this way they can build up a picture of die associations which need to be broken. Learned associations can be unlearned though this may still require a great effort of will.
Nicotine substitutes, such as nicotine chewing-gum or nicotine ‘patches’ may be helpful to heavy smokers who recognize the risks to their health and wish to stop smoking. Such substitutes work by providing a limited intake of nicotine to minimize withdrawal symptoms while cutting out exposure to the damaging chemicals in smoke.
Those who are near to despair about ever being able to give up smoking should be encouraged by the obvious, but often overlooked, fact that they can get through the night without a cigarette. They should also draw comfort from the knowledge that many people who have failed at the first attempt have ultimately succeeded. People smoke for many different reasons and the strategies which they adopt to stop smoking must take those reasons into account.
If, in the final analysis, people are unable to stop smoking, they should smoke low-tar cigarettes, as the trend towards low tar may already be having a valuable effect in reducing the incidence of lung cancer.
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BREAST CANCER AND PREGNANCY

admin — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 16:05:01 +0000

When pregnant, the last thing a woman is considering is the possibility of breast cancer. It is usually a happy time of excitement and planning. Women tend not to examine their breasts when pregnant. Apart from anything else, it is not easy to do so, as the breasts are changing in shape and size. Yet it is particularly important to check your breasts at this time.
Sadly, there has been an increase in the number of women with breast cancer during pregnancy. This may be due to the fact that the overall incidence among all women has been increasing, and more women now leave pregnancy until later in life when, statistically, breast cancer is more common. It could also be related to the increase in exposure to environmental pollutants and chemicals which mimic female hormones. Prior use of the contraceptive pill by this age group may be another contributing factor.
It used to be thought that the outlook for pregnant women with breast cancer was worse than for other women, but it is now known that stage for stage, the prognosis is the same. The problem arises when treatment has to be initiated at a later stage than would be the case for
non-pregnant women, in order to protect the developing baby.
Treatment options for pregnant women with breast cancer are probably more emotionally fraught than for other women – not that this is ever easy. If the cancer has been discovered in the first trimester, the woman may well be advised to have a termination in order to start treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation which are detrimental to the foetus, as soon as possible. If it is discovered during the second or third trimesters, surgery can safely be performed despite the need for anaesthetics, but radiation will not be used. It may be recommended that chemotherapy be used in the very last weeks of the pregnancy, or that an early delivery is carried out by caesarean section. These are very personal and difficult choices to make.
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OBSTACLES TO PAIN RELIEF – INTRODUCTION

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:42:57 +0000

Let’s now stop assuming that you have plentiful supplies of any painkiller and get onto the most common obstacle to good pain relief. As I have already indicated, the usual reason for people suffering from poorly controlled cancer pain is that their doctor fails to prescribe enough of a strong enough painkiller. Because all strong painkillers are available only on prescription, you are completely dependent on your doctor(s) to supply them. If you are in hospital, you are dependent both on the doctors and on the nurses for access to painkillers.

What can you do if you are denied access to enough painkillers to give you continuing pain relief? First of all, I’ll remind you that the usual reason for doctors and nurses limiting supplies of painkillers is not cruelty or sadism, but sheer ignorance! So you may be able to overcome your problem by telling your doctors and nurses some of the things you have learned here. I’m sure I don’t have to warn you to try to be diplomatic about this— we all know how doctors hate to feel that their authority is being undermined in any way!

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EXPRESSIONS USED TO DESCRIBE AIMS OF TREATMENT – POTENTIALLY CURATIVE TREATMENT (PART 1)

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 06:35:49 +0000

Potentially curative treatment, or treatment with curative intent, are truthful expressions that are sometimes incorrectly shortened to ‘curative treatment’. This last term wrongly implies that all patients having the treatment will be cured. Potentially curative treatment is treatment that is capable of completely and permanently curing a cancer. Some potentially curative treatments actually do cure most of the patients having them, others cure only a small proportion. If your doctor tells you that a proposed treatment is potentially curative, make sure you find out what the chance of cure by it is. You need to know this to weigh up the benefit against the cost. If there is only a five per cent (one in twenty) chance of cure you might be less prepared to accept its cost then if it is a ninety-five per cent (nineteen in twenty).

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AFTER CANCER: PREVENTING NEW CANCERS. LOOKING FOR CAUSES

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:17:48 +0000

Why Did I Get Cancer in the First Place?

Our bodies are made up of millions of cells that grow, divide, and die in an orderly, controlled manner. This dynamic balance allows us to grow hair and skin, maintain a healthy lining to our digestive tract and airway, respond to physical stresses, and repair injuries.

It is believed that most cancers start out as the loss of control of one single cell. A single cancer cell multiplies and becomes a group of cancer cells whose growth is not controlled by the body’s healthy cells, and the balance between cell division and cell death is lost. Over months to years, depending on the type of cancer cell, the cancer grows big enough to be detectable or cause problems.

What causes the first cancer cell to become cancerous is still uncertain. Most likely, a series of events has to occur for that to happen. For example, the cell may be genetically predisposed but will not become cancerous unless it is exposed to certain substances or radiation.

For some cancers that seem to arise in multiple spots at once, there may be many cells that lose control at the same time and give rise to many cancers. These cells “at risk” may be exposed to the final “hit,” such as radiation or cancer-causing substance, at the same time, so they all become cancerous at the same time.

Now That I Am Done with Treatment, Do I Need to Look for a Cause for My Cancer?

If you have no obvious risk factors for your type of cancer, discuss with your doctor whether it would be worthwhile to look for something in your environment or diet that may have contributed to your developing your type of cancer—for something like asbestos, which is often associated with cancer of the lung lining. The reasons for this inquiry would be

•to ensure that you are not still exposed to something that is continuing to put you at risk for developing this cancer again

• to make sure others are not being exposed

• to provide data for future research

Nothing will change the fact that you had your cancer. Any effort to look for a cause should be geared toward improving future for you and others.

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AFTER CANCER: PREVENTING OTHER KINDS OF CANCER. SOMETHING CAUSING CANCER

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:16:04 +0000

What Can I Do to Prevent Other Kinds of Cancer?

This is an area of intense interest and research. At this time the most important recommendations are to

•avoid sun exposure

•eat cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables

•avoid obesity

•eat a low-fat diet

•include fiber in your diet

•avoid excessive alcohol

•minimize salt-cured, smoked, and nitrite-cured foods

•eat four to six helpings of fruits and vegetables daily

What Is the Difference between Something Causing Cancer and Something Being Associated with Cancer?

When something causes cancer, it is directly responsible for changes in normal cells that contribute to their becoming cancerous. For example, exposure to the sun causes skin cells to change in such a way that they can become cancerous.

Something is said to be associated with cancer where there exists a statistical relationship between the event being measured and cancer. This says nothing about whether the associated variable being measured is responsible in any way for the changes in the cell that cause it to become cancerous. For example, there may be an association between playing tennis and skin cancer. Playing tennis does not cause any changes in the body that lead to cancer. It is the high sun exposure common to tennis player is responsible for the increased risk of skin cancer.

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AFTER CANCER: PARTICIPATION IN CLINICAL TRIALS

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:14:09 +0000

Why Doesn’t Everyone Participate in Clinical Trials?

There are practical reasons why many people do not participate in clinical trials:

•People are unaware of the availability and benefits of trials.

•Trials have limited participation; there may be no space in ongoing trials for a person’s particular cancer situation.

•People may not qualify for trials applicable to their type of cancer, because of concurrent medical conditions, age, location family constraints.

•Certain kinds of clinical trials offer little or no therapeutic benefit.

What Are the Downsides of Clinical Trials?

There are some potential disadvantages to your participating in a clinical trial:

•By definition, not all of the risks and benefits are known ahead of time; there can be unexpected dangers and side effects.

• Doctors have less experience working with new treatments than with standard, established ones.

•You may lose an opportunity for a dependable response from standard therapy if you pursue a clinical trial of therapy that proves to be less successful than standard therapy.

•Clinical trials require an investment in terms of your time, energy, and testing to comply with the required follow-up during and after treatment.

• Hospitalization may be required for some treatments.

• Trials can add to the emotional stress of not knowing exact which treatment you are getting. As was discussed above, some patients receive a placebo (e.g., an inactive sugar pill) instead of the experimental treatment in placebo-controlled studies. In other studies, you randomly receive either standard treatment or the new treatment. Despite the reassurance that you are receiving treatment that has an anticancer effect, not knowing exactly what treatment you are getting can be stressful.

•Some people feel like “a number” instead of an individual human being.

Although clinical trials increase your potential options, they are not for everyone.

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AFTER CANCER: FOLLOW-UP: ABOUT RECURRENCE

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:12:20 +0000

If Ну Checkup and Blood Work Are Okay, Can I Be Sure I Have No Cancer?

No. There is a limit to what tests and scans show. A cancer can be too small to be detected with current techniques, or it can be in a place that escapes current methods of detection.

Your doctor will talk with you, examine you, and order appropriate tests to look for cancer. This approach allows doctors, with reasonable risk and cost to you, to pick up most detectable cancers.

What Is a Recurrence?

If you were in complete remission (no evidence of cancer) for any length of time and now there is evidence that the same cancer has come back, you have had a recurrence of your cancer. The returning cancer is called a recurrence.

Each cancer is defined by the organ in which it originated, the organ in which the first cell became cancerous. Your cancer can recur in a different place from where it appeared earlier or in the same place. It has to be the same kind of cancer to be a recurrence. If you had prostate cancer confined to the prostate gland years ago and now you have cancer in the bone that tests show to be prost cancer in the bone, you have had a recurrence of prostate cane Conversely, if you had prostate cancer years ago and now you have colon cancer, you have developed a new, unrelated cane called a “second primary.”

How Do Doctors Know Whether a New Cancer Is a Recurrence о a Past Cancer or an Unrelated Second Primary?

Evaluation of a piece of the new cancer under a microscope and with other sophisticated tests tells doctors what kind of cancer is. In most cases this evaluation can determine whether the ne cancer is a recurrence of a prior cancer or an unrelated second primary. When possible, doctors will compare slides of the ne cancer with slides of the prior cancer under the microscope resolve any question about the new cancer’s being a recurrence. Occasionally, some uncertainty persists whether a cancer is recurrence of a prior cancer or a new, second cancer.

Can a Cancer Ever Come Back as a Different Cancer?

Some types of cancer can transform or change into a different form of the same type of cancer when they recur. For example, low grade lymphoma can go into remission and then recur in a different, high-grade form. Even though the new lymphoma behave: very differently, it is felt to be a recurrence of the original lymphoma and not a second, unrelated primary.

Lymphomas always come back as lymphomas, even if the) come back as a different type of lymphoma. Breast cancer recurs only as breast cancer. Prostate cancer recurs as prostate cancer, and so on.

What Is a Local Recurrence?

A local recurrence is recurrent cancer at or near the place of the original cancer. If you had melanoma treated with surgery and you develop a recurrence near your scar, you are said to have a local recurrence.

If I Have a Recurrence in the Future, Can I Ever Be Cured of My Cancer?

Yes. Many people are cured of their cancer after being treated for recurrent cancer.

Recurrence is not a death sentence; it is an illness.

If your original cancer was treatable, there is a good chance that a recurrence will be treatable.

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