Michael Lee asked:


Educating yourself about the general facts on lung cancer is essential to help prevent acquiring the disease. As the number one cause of death among men in America and one of the major causes of death cases throughout the world, health experts are furthering their efforts in trying to unearth general facts on lung cancer, and how this disease can be so deadly.

Among the various type of cancer deaths, lung cancer is responsible for 29 percent of that. In fact, there are more death cases for lung cancer as compared to the data of deaths for prostate, breast, and colon cancers combined. Hence, you can begin protecting yourself now by arming yourself with the general facts on lung cancer before it’s too late.



Causes Of Lung Cancer

When people think of lung cancer, they often associate it with cigarette smoking. Indeed, this is one of the leading causes of the disease. But it is not the only factor.

One of the major focus of research for health experts regarding lung cancer is the genetic factor. Most cancerous cells develop when there is an error in the mutation of DNA cells. That error in itself can be affected by other environmental factors as well, which has led health experts to go back to examining external factors that can contribute to the formation of cancerous cells.

Too much exposure to asbestos has been cited as one crucial environmental factor causing lung cancer. Asbestos is a kind of mineral that is made up of bundled up fibers and naturally occurs in the environment. These fibers, when inhaled by a person exposed to them, can be trapped in one’s lungs and accumulate until it causes an inflammation on the lungs.

Another crucial factor that could elicit the development of lung cancer is inhaling secondhand smoke. Although cigarette smoking can increase your chances of acquiring lung cancer, those who inhale it are at a higher risk. Secondhand smoke consists of two types of smoke: those that are produced by the burning of the tobacco product and those exhaled by the smoker.

Please pay very close attention to these general facts on lung cancer, so you can avoid the factors that could put you at risk in acquiring the disease.



Symptoms Of Lung Cancer

Since it affects your respiratory system, common symptoms associated with lung cancer are related to such conditions affecting the respiratory illness.

It is a rare case for lung cancer to be diagnosed early, which is why awareness of the general facts on lung cancer is of extreme importance for early diagnosis.

•    Prolonged cases of cough.

•    Uncharacteristic wheezing.

•    Pain on the back, chest, or shoulder.

•    Coughing blood or mucus.

•    Constant shortness of breath.

•    Swollen neck or face.

•    Pneumonia or other respiratory infections, etc

Treatment For Lung Cancer

Before a treatment option is to be determined for lung cancer patients, it is important to diagnose its type and stage first. Here are some of the more common types of treatment:

1) Surgery – This method of treatment is best only for patients who are diagnosed early due to the possibility of the cancer cells spreading to other parts of the body despite inability to detect it via scan.

2) Chemotherapy – This treatment is best used for individuals with small cell lung cancer. Oftentimes, this treatment is accompanied by radiotherapy. This treatment is known as chemoradiation.

3) Radiotherapy – This treatment is directed on the patient’s head, in order to prevent the cancer cells from spreading to the brain. It is recommended only for individuals with small cell lung cancer and those who had their tumor removed via surgery.

Equipping yourself with general facts on lung cancer is your best weapon against the disease.



Gregory

Dick Aronson asked:


Cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in the Western world.

Although Cancer is primarily a disease of the elderly with more than 60% of deaths from cancer occurring in those over the age of 65, cancer can strike even the youngest of children.

Cancer appears to occur when the growth of cells in the body is out of control and cells divide too rapidly. Carcinomas can develop in almost any organ or tissue, such as the lung, colon, breast, skin, bones, or nerve tissue.

Most common sites are:

Prostrate 24%

Breast 13%

Lung 13%

Colon and Rectum 9%

Bladder 3%

Uterus 2.5%

The cause of Cancer is believed to be a combination of genetic factors and outside carcinogens such as tobacco, viruses, infection, asbestos, vinyl chloride, inappropriate diet.

Cancer often has no specific symptoms, so it is important that you limit your risk factors and undergo appropriate cancer screening. The signs and symptoms will depend on where the cancer is, the size of the tumor, and how much it affects the nearby organs or structures.

If a cancer spreads (metastasizes), then symptoms may appear in different parts of the body. As a tumour grows, it begins to push on nearby organs, blood vessels, and nerves. If the cancer is in a critical area, such as certain parts of the brain, even the smallest tumor can cause early symptoms.

But sometimes cancers start in places where it does not cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown quite large. Pancreatic cancers, for example, do not usually grow large enough to be felt from the outside of the body.

By the time a pancreatic cancer causes these signs or symptoms, it has usually reached an advanced stage.

A cancer may also cause symptoms common to many other problems, such as; fever, fatigue and weight loss. This may be because the cancer uses up much of the body’s energy or it may cause the release of substances which affect metabolism.

Some lung cancers make hormone-like substances that affect blood calcium levels, affecting nerves and muscles and causing weakness and dizziness.

It is important to know what some of the general (non-specific) signs and symptoms of cancer are, but remember that having any of these does not mean that you have cancer.

Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. The earlier tumors are found, the better the prognosis.

A good example of the importance of finding cancer early is melanoma skin cancer. Skin cancer can be easy to remove if it has not grown deep into the skin, and the 5-year survival rate (percentage of people living at least 5 years after diagnosis) at this stage is nearly100%.

Screening for ****** cancer with mammograms has been shown to reduce the average stage of diagnosis of ****** cancer in a population.

Colorectal cancer can be detected through fecal occult blood testing and colonoscopy, which reduces both colon cancer incidence and mortality, presumably through the detection and removal of pre-malignant polyps.

Similarly, cervical cytology testing (using the Pap smear) leads to the identification and excision of precancerous lesions.

Testicular self-examination is recommended for men beginning at the age of 15 years to detect testicular cancer.

SIGNS and SYMPTOMS

Pain may be an early symptom with some cancers such as bone cancers or testicular cancer.

Long-term constipation, diarrhea, or a change in the size of the stool may be a sign of colon cancer.

Pain with urination, blood in the urine, or a change in bladder function (such as more frequent or less frequent urination) could be related to bladder or prostate cancer.

Skin cancers may bleed and look like sores that do not heal.

A long-lasting sore in the mouth could be an oral cancer and should be dealt with right away, especially in patients who smoke, chew tobacco, or frequently drink alcohol.

Sores on the ***** or ****** may either be signs of infection or an early cancer, and should not be overlooked.

Unusual bleeding can happen in either early or advanced cancer.

Blood in the sputum (phlegm) may be a sign of lung cancer.

Blood in the stool (or a dark or black stool) could be a sign of colon or rectal cancer.

Blood in the urine may be a sign of bladder or kidney cancer.

A bloody discharge from the ****** may be a sign of ****** cancer.

Many cancers can be felt through the skin, mostly in the breast, testicle, lymph nodes (glands), and the soft tissues of the body. A lump or thickening may be an early or late sign of cancer. Self examination is an important diagnostic measure, particularly for ****** tumors.

While they commonly have other causes, indigestion or swallowing problems may be a sign of cancer of the esophagus, stomach, or pharynx (throat).

A cough that does not go away may be a sign of lung cancer.

A tumor may be suspected for a variety of reasons, but the definitive diagnosis of most malignancies must be confirmed by histological examination of the cancerous cells by a pathologist.

TREATMENT

Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Radiation therapy may be used to treat almost every type of solid tumor, including cancers of the brain, breast, cervix, larynx, lung, pancreas, prostate, skin, stomach, uterus, or soft tissue sarcomas.

Most forms of chemotherapy target all rapidly dividing cells and are not specific for cancer cells, although some degree of specificity may come from the inability of many cancer cells to repair DNA damage, while normal cells generally can.

Contemporary methods for generating an immune response against tumours include intravesical BCG immunotherapy for superficial bladder cancer, and use of interferons and other cytokines to induce an immune response in renal cell carcinoma and melanoma patients.

Pain medication, such as morphine and oxycodone, and anti-emetics, drugs to suppress nausea and vomiting, are very commonly used in patients with cancer-related symptoms. transmission and disease.

Advances in cancer research have made a vaccine designed to prevent cancer available. The vaccine protects against four HPV types, which together cause 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of ******* warts.

The consensus on diet and cancer is that obesity increases the risk of developing cancer. The cancer-fighting components of food are also proving to be more numerous and varied than previously understood, so patients are increasingly being advised to consume fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables for maximal health benefits.



Ann

Groshan Fabiola asked:


Colon cancer is one of the most feared types of cancer by both men and women. The reason is that colon cancer is now fourth on the most known cancer list in many countries around the world. It is also known to be the second most common cause of death in countries like the United State of America. So, I belive these are some pretty good reasons to fear colon cancer, am I right?

If you belive that these are not good enough reasons to fear colon cancer, then here are some more statistics about this type of cancer. A person that has reached the age of fifty has almost five percent risk of being diagnosed with colon cancer. Furthermore, people at this age have also a three percent risk of dying from colon cancer. If these statistics about colon cancer still do not worry you, then you should also know that a person that dies from colon cancer looses almost thirteen years of his/ her life, which is a pretty big number if you ask me.

Moreover, statistics say that more than eight percent of all colon cancer cases arise from a certain type of polyps called adenomatous. If these polyps are smaller than one centimeter, then the risk of developing colon cancer is less than one percent. However, if these polyps are bigger than one centimeter, then the risk of colon cancer rises. Ten percent of these polyps turn into colon cancer in then years time and more than twenty percent in twenty year’ s time. Furthermore as time also passes by the risk of developing colon cancer increase as well. If at the age of forty, the risk of those polyps becoming malignant was about twenty percent, then at fifty it increases to twenty five percent and at the age of seventy the percentage goes as high as fifty.

Most of the colon cancer cases happen in people that are not exposed to any particular risk factors. However, twenty percent of colon cancer cases occur in people with certain risk factors. Family history of colon cancer is the most common of these risk factors. A small percentage of these cases, almost six percent, are also caused by genetic syndromes. People that suffer from ulcerative colitis are also more at risk of developing colon cancer as so are those that have been diagnosed with large polyps or even with colon cancer.

For more resource on different colon cancer subjects please click this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com. You can also find valuable information about stage3 colon cancer or even about colon cancer diet



Steve

Michael Sampson asked:


The word cancer always brings worries to anyone who hears it. In most cases, people never realize they have cancer, not until the feel some kind of pain and have it checked out, only to find out that they already have it. Especially nowadays, with the kind lifestyle that is being imposed upon us, news and studies tell us that we can get it from the foods we eat, the air we breathe and virtually almost anywhere.

We cannot know when or why colon cancer might strike us, but we can certainly take specific measures to significantly lessen the chances of getting colon cancer. But first, we have to arm ourselves with information. What is colon cancer? How would you know if you have it?

Have you had, or do you know of any one who might be experiencing change in their bowel movement, blood in their stool (scientifically referred to as melena, hematochezia) or bowel obstruction? These are some of the more obvious symptoms of colon cancer, but it is possible for the symptoms to be less specific. Things like abnormal weight loss, anemia, that occurs with symptoms like fatigue, pallor and lasting discomfort are also possible signs. If upon check-up, there is liver’s enlargement (or hepatomegaly), this could be due to the tumor spreading.

Like a lot of cancer cases, there are also ocassions where no symptoms are present at all. Moreover, it is highly recommended to get check-ups for the disease from time to time.

Colon cancer, more scientifically, colorectal cancer or bowel cancer, is characterized by harmful growths in the colon or large bowel, rectum and appendix. Many think that cancers come from the formation of polyps in the colon. These polyps are commonly non-threatening, but some might progress into colon cancer over time. Colon cancer is now the third among most usual form of cancer and the second leading cause of death among cancers in the Western world.

Like we mentioned earlier, diet also plays a huge role. Studies show that if a person’s usually consists of red meat, and is low on fresh fruit, vegetables, poultry and fish invites the risk for colon cancer. A study done by the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition in June 2005 suggested that a diet high on red and processed meat and low on fiber, are associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. People who preferred fish showed a decreased risk. However, the relation between dietary fiber and risk of colon cancer remains controversial as other studies have cast doubt on claims that high fiber intake can decrease the risk of colon cancer.

The risk of developing colon cancer also increases with age. People in their 60s and 70s are more suceptible, while cases before age 50 are uncommon unless there is a history of colon cancer in the family.

In women, usually those who’ve had cancer of the ovary, uterus, or ****** are at higher risk of developing colon cancer.

Smokers and physically inactive people are also more likely to develop of colon cancer.

How do you know if you have it? There are may ways of diagnosing for colon cancer, like a digital rectal exam or a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan. One sure way is through a colonoscopy. In a colonoscopy, a lighted probe called a colonoscope is inserted into the rectum and the entire colon to inspect for polyps and other abnormalities that may be caused by cancer.

If polyps are found during the colonoscopy, they can be immediately removed. Tissue samples can also be taken for biopsy. Therapy is usually done through surgery, with many cases also requires chemotherapy.



April

Paul Hata asked:


Colon cancer or colorectal cancer is one important cancer. In the western world, this cancer is considered as the third most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of death that are cancer-related.

Colon cancer causes 655,000 deaths every year. This type of cancer happens primarily on the person’s colon, rectum and the appendix the moment cancerous growths appear on these areas. Many practitioners believed that these kinds of cancers arise from the so-called adenomatous polyps in the colon of one person. These polyps that look like mushrooms will usually start up as benign, but this can turn into cancer after some time.

Treatment For Colon Cancer

The treatment of colon cancer on one person is dependent on the status or the stage of the cancer. When the colon cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, then this cancer can be cured. But when detected on its late stage, the probability of having this cancer cured begins to fall as well.

Amongst the many treatments that are available right now, the more popular and the one considered as a primary treatment is surgery. Surgery that can be used to treat this cancer can be called curative, palliative, bypass, fecal diversion or can be labeled as open or close. The curative type is for the colon cancer where tumor is localized. Among these types of surgeries, the one used on worst cases is the open-and-close surgery. This happens when the surgeons who perform the operation find the tumor is unresectable and small bowel is the one involved.

There is also the Laparoscopic-assisted colectomy and this is considered as the minimally-invasive technique. This can reduce the size of the incision and also lessen post-operative pains that can be experienced by the patient. Another treatment that can be used to address this cancer is chemotherapy. This type of treatment helps reduce the likelihood of the development of metastasis, slow the growth of tumor and at the same time shrink the size of tumor. The use of chemotherapy as a treatment is used usually before the surgery or as the primary therapy.

Radiation therapy is another treatment used in the medical field. But this isn’t used in a regular basis as this kind of therapy can lead to radiation enteritis. This kind of therapy is often used in rectal cancer since the rectum is easy to target. Often chemotherapy agents are used in conjunction with this kind of therapy in order to increase the effectiveness of the radiation.

The use of immunotherapy is in the works right now, as a treatment that can be used to address colon cancer. A vaccine is also in development right now in order to be used to combat the cancer. It was in November 2006 when this vaccine was announced and based on tests results, this vaccine can be an effective treatment for the cancer. The vaccine called TroVax harness the body’s immune system in order to fight the cancer. Most of these treatments usually come complete with support therapies, since most patients suffer a change in their psychological well-being.



Barry