breastcancer

Posted by admin | Posted in Cancer | Posted on 11-06-2009-05-2008

0

Directly you hear the word breast cancer, the picture of a female patient is conjured up. This disease is not confined to females. This is known to afflict men rarely as well. Cancer that starts in tissues of the breast in males and females is commonly known as breast cancer which is the second most common cancer type in the world.

The first sign of breast cancer is a lump or a mass in the underarm or breast area that feels different to the touch. Apart from that, signs of enlargement of the breast or part of it, change in the form and size of the breast, skin inflammation or dimpling, turning inward of the nipple and flow of fluid other than milk from the breast. It pays to be cognizant of these signs for early detection of cancer.

At the first sign of breast cancer, the prudent thing to do is to consult a doctor. Your doctor will feel your breasts for lumps or any suspect growth. Harmless growth feel differently from harmful cancer-causing lumps. Any doubts with regard to his examination will be sorted out with the help of tests such as MRI scan, mammography test, ultrasound scan or a biopsy. Provided that you are tested positive, he will order more lab tests so that they will assist him in learning more about your disease and its course of therapy.

Various therapy methods are available for breast cancer. Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy are such treatments. Out of these, surgery and radiation are local therapies. The rest is known as systemic treatments. The former removes or destroys the cancer in the breast whilst the latter enters the blood stream and controls or destroys the cancer.

There are many risk factors associated with breast cancer. If you are a female, the chances of contracting this disease is great as a females breast cells are open to hormones like estrogen and progesterone at all times. As you grow old, the risks grow too. Since breast cancer is hereditary, the chances of your getting it are higher if someone of your family has had it before than in families where no one has ever been afflicted with it.

Breast cancer is supposed to be the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the world. This goes to show the gravity of this disease. However, its comforting to know that billions of dollars are spent yearly on research work to find out the causes and treatments of it.

Bonecancer

Posted by admin | Posted in Cancer | Posted on 10-06-2009-05-2008

0

Bones help in movement, giving structure to our body and hence are known as the supporting framework of the body.

To understand more about what bone cancer is, knowing more about the structure of the bone would be ideal.

Bone consists of a fibrous tissue called matrix on which calcium salts are laid down, as its outer part. This fibrous tissue is part of the outer membrane of the bone- the Periosteum.

Inside hollow bones, there is a soft tissue known as bone marrow, found in a space called the Medullary cavity. The bone marrow can be either a fatty tissue only or a mixture of fat cells as well as blood generating cells. These blood generating cells in the bone marrow are responsible for the production of Red blood cells, White blood cells and Platelets, which are important components of blood.

The tissue known as cartilage, found at the two ends of a bone acts as a cushion between the bones.
The bone tissue or the osseous tissue contains two different kinds of cells. They are, Osteoblast- the bone forming cells and Osteoclast – cells that dissolve or breakdown bone tissues.

The term tissue was commonly mentioned in the description of the structure of the bone. It can be defined simply, as a group of cells who have a common function. Therefore, it is obvious out of the many cells that form a bone, any can develop to a cancer.

These are several types of bone cancers- metastatic cancer (which is a cancer that was spread from somewhere else from the bone, bone marrow related cancers that gives rise to multiple myeloma, leukemia (though it is commonly thought of as a blood cancer) and lymphomas (though it is often found in lymph nodes, there are occasions when it starts in the bone marrow Though most primary bone tumors lead to bone cancer, not all are cancerous.

The following are the names of some cancerous primary bone tumors:
Osteosarcoma – (also known as Osteogenic sarcoma) one of the most common primary bone cancers that start in the bone cells.
Chondrosarcoma a bone cancer that starts in the cartilage cells (the second most common primary bone cancer).
Ewing tumor (which is a bone cancer starting off either in bones or in other tissues)
Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) mostly starting off in soft tissues than in bones
Fibrosarcoma (which is also similar to MFH)
Giant cell tumor of bone (which is less often found as a bone cancer- as it takes the non cancerous form)
Chordoma (a bone cancer that develops in the skull and bones of the spine).

All different types of bone cancers can be treated using, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery.

bladder cancer

Posted by admin | Posted in Cancer | Posted on 08-06-2009-05-2008

0

Being the part of the body that removes waste, the bladder is an integral part of our body. As the organ that stores urine, and thus helps remove excess nutrients and waste products from the body, the bladder plays an integral role in many bodily functions.

Bladder cancer can be of three main types, depending on which area of the bladder it forms in, and what type of cells are affected. There are no exact causes of bladder cancer but there have been many risk factors that have been identified to increase the chances of bladder cancer which include use of tobacco, infections or irritations in the bladder, age, gender and possibly family history. Tobacco users are said to be at twice to thrice the risk of developing bladder cancer than others. Although a person may have one or more of the above mentioned risk factors, they are not definite causes for developing the disease. Symptoms of bladder cancer include needing to urinate often, pain during urinating, and blood mixed with urine. Again, having these symptoms does not mean that bladder cancer is present, as infections, bladder stones and benign tumours can cause similar symptoms, but it is advisable to check with a doctor if symptoms like such appear. Doctors use physical tests, urine tests and, in some cases, biopsies, to diagnose the cause of symptoms that appear. Biopsies are considered a sure way of finding if bladder cancer is present or not.

There are four stages of bladder cancer, separated by how far the cancer has spread. Stage 0 is when the cancer cells appear only in the inner lining of the bladder, whereas Stage IV is when the cancer cells have spread through the body and reached other organs, like the lungs or pelvis. Stages I to III refer to different levels of invasion in the body by the cancer cells.

There are a range of treatments for bladder cancer which patients can ask their doctors about, from chemo or radiation therapy to surgery. A blend of a number of therapies can also be used. Going according to doctors advice is best for the patient, when it comes to such treaments. As an after-effect of bladder cancer treatment, patients may lose their appetites or suffer from nausea but it is important for patients to be able to take in proper nutrition into their body so that they have enough calories and protein. Talking to a doctor or dietician will give the patient more information on the diet that the patient needs to follow, so that recovery can be made faster and easier.

best cell phones

Posted by admin | Posted in Cancer | Posted on 24-05-2009-05-2008

0

How can one decide which are the best cell phones? There are so many factors influencing the classification, not to mention that every new year brings several novelties from various manufacturers all claiming superiority over the previous designs. Just like in other electronic sectors, mobile communications involve complex classifications based on subjective and objective factors. Thus, we have the tendency to consider that the only those designs jam-packed with features are actually the best cell phones. In fact, the phone menus have become so complex that one could even have troubles operating them and not be able to use the features at their full capacity.

Moreover, identifying the best cell phones is also a matter of subjective factors like personal taste and the way in which one depends on certain features. A traveler will surely look for those cells that have a long battery life and advanced WAP features, which allow rapid Internet connection. Then, proficient built-in cameras suit anyone eager to immortalize precious moments spontaneously. Display, design, touch screens, USB charging options, bars, sliders or clamshells: they all make decisive elements that one considers when purchasing a phone. Moreover, the idea of best cell phones becomes relevant in relation to the price category as well.

Therefore, one can identify the best cell phones by their producer, by the technical specificity, by the special softwares it uses and so on. If we think of market reception, certain models can be declared the best cell phones of the moment, and smart phones get this title for the time being. Designs with TV facilities, rotative screens that allow a superior viewing angle, touch screens and satellite access are but a few of the most costly elements added to the communication devices people now value.

All in all, we can say in plain honesty that it costs pretty dearly to be always up-to-date with the latest best cell phones. The top-notch cell today will lose its value within six months or a year because new models will always bring something extra, a form of improvement that the others lack. Thus, the constant competition level is noticeable even between products belonging to the same producer, given the extreme speed to change and innovate that characterizes the 21st century. Our best cell phones do a great job at reminding us of this urge.