Cancer on Alert

Giving you the information you need to know when it comes to fighting cancer

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Protecting Yourself from Harmful UV Rays

Overexposure tо thе sun аnd UV rays іѕ rarely obvious аt thе time, -- аnd оn mаnу occasions, рrоbаblу quіtе unintentional. Hоwеvеr repeated exposure hаѕ rаthеr mоrе adverse long-term implications fоr оur bodies аnd оur health.

We're аll wеll aware оf thе mоrе obvious аnd painful symptoms оf sunburn including hot, red, tender skin, whісh іn thе case оf а mоrе heavy burn саn аlѕо include blistering, peeling аnd dehydration.

Thе damage thаt occurs beneath thе skin аѕ а result оf sunburn іѕ considerably less obvious аt thе time оf exposure, аnd mау іn fact tаkе years tо produce symptoms visible tо thе naked eye.

Thе fact thаt damage caused tо skin cells durіng sunburn саn nоt оnlу accelerate thе aging process, but аlѕо increase thе risk оf cataracts аnd skin cancer, ѕhоuld сеrtаіnlу demand оur attention.

Whеn faced wіth thе potential risk оf hаvіng tо treat mоrе thаn јuѕt thе temporary symptoms аnd pain оf sunburn, doesn't іt mаkе mоrе sense tо avoid thе risk іn thе fіrѕt place?

Seek prevention rаthеr thаn cure!

Sо bеfоrе уоu venture оut іntо thе sun again, remember thеѕе important tips tо protect уоurѕеlf frоm overexposure оf UV rays аnd sunburn, аnd іtѕ аѕѕосіаtеd risks:

Wear protective clothing, including а long-sleeve shirt аnd а hat. Cоnѕіdеr thе additional protection оf аn umbrella оr shade whеrе appropriate.

Avoid sun exposure bеtwееn 10 аm аnd 3 pm іf аt аll possible.

Remember thаt UV rays аrе present еvеn оn cloudy days.

Remember thаt sunlight іѕ strongly reflected frоm sand, snow, ice, water аnd concrete, whісh саn intensify уоur direct sunlight exposure.

Apply sunscreen соntаіnіng а sun protection factor (SPF) оf аt lеаѕt 15, аt lеаѕt 15 minutes bеfоrе gоіng оut іntо thе sun.

Reapply sunscreen аt regular intervals whіlе оut іn thе sun, еѕресіаllу іf уоu аrе perspiring heavily оr swimming.

Remember thаt UV overexposure іѕ nоt limited tо sun exposure. Sunburn саn аlѕо occur аѕ а result оf UV exposure frоm оthеr sources including tanning beds/lamps, welding arcs etc.

Prevention іѕ а fаr bеttеr treatment thаn cure. In thе event however, thаt уоu discover аnу unusual moles оr growths оn уоur skin (particularly іf they're irregular іn shape, bleed, itch, оr арреаr tо bе changing) - consult уоur healthcare provider аѕ ѕооn аѕ possible.

Whеn іt соmеѕ tо overexposure оf UV rays аnd sunburn thаt result іn skin cancer, early detection wіll сеrtаіnlу assist іn providing уоu wіth mоrе effective treatment. But соnѕіdеrіng уоur options bеfоrеhаnd, whаt wіll provide thе bеѕt outcome fоr уоur health? Prevention оr Cure? I knоw whісh оnе I'd choose...!

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Early Signs of Prostate Cancer

Early detection is the key to surviving colon cancer. There are many symptoms for colon cancer and they vary from person to person. Not every person with colon cancer will have all the symptoms. Here are a few of the most common early symptoms:

Fatigue

The presence of a tumor leads to anemia, which is because of the lack of iron supplement and this makes the person feel chronically weak and tired.

Dark blood in stool

If there is blood in your stool, it signifies the presence of a tumor which usually bleeds. If the blood is fresh, it means that the tumor is closer to the end of the colon whereas if it dried or dark red in color, the tumor is located at the beginning of the colon.

Constipation

A large tumor in the colon will be an obstruction in the bowels and will restrict the movement of stool, hence causing constipation.

Nausea

A tumor that is large in enough to block stool and cause constipation will also lessen the blood flow which can lead to vomiting and nausea.

Weight loss

When a person starts losing weight without any effort or reason, it may be due to the fact that the tumor is releasing chemicals that accelerate the metabolism rate.

Bloating

A tumor at the end of the colon will bloat and give the feeling that the bowel is still full. This might be mistaken as a part of the stool which is not easy to excrete.

Abdominal cramps

The colon, as mentioned earlier, acts as an obstruction in the bowel and depending on the size will prevent solids, liquids and even gases from passing by. This can lead to acute stomach pain and cramps in the abdomen. Recurrent sprees of painful cramps in the abdomen region might be because the bowel has nudged the bowel wall. This may be an emergency and needs immediate medical treatment.

These are the most common symptoms but there are other minor symptoms as well that might lead to the diagnosis of colon cancer. These include irregular bowel movement and peptic ulcers. The colon is bigger on the right side, and hence the tumor can grow till it is very huge before it leads to abdominal cramps or pain in the stomach. In spite of all this, in the case of colon cancer, the growth may be present for many years before any symptoms begin to show.

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A more detailed view of the prostate

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Foods to Avoid for a Colonoscopy

Starting four days before the colonoscopy till the procedure is over, the consumption of solid foods and opaque liquids must be completely stopped. Depending on the physician and the severity of the colon, these instructions need to be taken for one to three days before the procedure. The basic idea is to reduce or completely halt the intake of food that contains fibers. This is because fibers tend to stick to the walls of the digestive tract and this makes it almost impossible to tell the difference between the fibers and blood.

Stopping the intake of solid foods prior to colonoscopy is to ensure that the patient’s bowels are empty. Consumption of dark colored beverages and any supplements that the patient might be taking should be discontinued. Iron supplements, including the ones contained in multivitamins, should also be avoided.

Food items like fruits and nuts are high on fiber. So they should not be eaten before colonoscopy. Same is the case for red meat. Rice and vegetables also have high fiber content and therefore should not be eaten. The patient must not have cereals, bran and seeds either.

Even if red meat is a strict no-no, the patient is allowed to have boiled chicken so long as it does not contain any skin. Streamed white fish is also okay. Even in the case of vegetables, potatoes may be eaten, but the skin should be peeled off completely first. Unrefined white bread can also be taken as it has minimal fiber content. It should be noted that even though these food products may be consumed, it is only in small portions. Large quantities of these food items can lead to accumulation of fiber in the bowels.

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In preparation for colonoscopy, a high intake of liquids is mandatory to avoid dehydration. However, milk and all milk products are completely off-limits. Food and beverages which are red or purple in color also should be avoided. Some physicians ask patients to stay away from orange colored dyes as well.

On the day before the colonoscopy, the patient should have a lot of clear fluids. This is so that he/she stays hydrated and also to ensure that the bowels are clear. However, it should be noted that around four hours prior to the colonoscopy procedure, the intake of fluids should also be completely halted.

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Freezing Cells for Prostate Cancer Treatment

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Melanoma was only Discovered Recently

It has been documented that the initial discovery of any type of melanoma was by a John Hunter in seventeen hundred and eighty seven (1787). He was said to be the first person to actually come in contact with melanoma through actual surgery on a patient. He described what we know now, as melanoma, only as some form of cancerous fungus. The  scientists thought it prudent to save this extracted tumor described as a cancerous fungus in a surgery museum which was located in England. Many, many years after this finding sometime in the later part of the nineteen hundreds the tumor was placed under a microscope and it was then ascertained that this ‘fungus’ was actually a metastatic melanoma. An understanding of what Metastatic melanoma is, is it is  when the melanoma that may have started on the person's skin or maybe their eyes and then made its way through the bloodstream into the infected persons many organs. These soon to be infected organs located within the body, when actually infected with melanoma will effectively shut down and actually stop doing their job. As this was the case at the time what followed was that Rene Laennic decided to and was actually the first to do this whereas he termed the melanoma an actual disease and then treated it as you treat any disease. Up until this point in time no one knew very much about melanoma as it was still very much a subject under scrutiny and was still being researched. Up until 1806 it was understood that melanoma was also hereditary in some people. Sometime in one of the greatest years in history,1956, Henry Lancaster took the research a little further and observed that when the melanoma was exposed to ultraviolet rays it worsened and actually grew larger.  Soon, hopefully, we will find better ways to detect and handle then maybe cure all melanoma. Recently Mayo Clinic researchers have now uncovered a new until now hitherto unknown cellular secret which may explain much more about this cancer since the initial discovery of a melanoma. It is a great thing media has done in the making that many more people have become melanoma educated and melanoma  aware. Getting tested before it spreads if at all suspecting a melanoma is the first step to eradicating this terrible curse from your body. It is still concerning that many people do not get malignant melanoma detected until it is too late for them.

For more information about cancer, visit this site on the bone cancer survival rate.

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Cancer Treatments

If there’s one disease that’s been challenging the field of medicine for a long time now, it will definitely be cancer.  In an overview, cancer happens when malignant cells begin to form in an area which affects that way it functions.  Though it may seem like a simple disease, the effects that come with cancer are drastic.  The fact that it can occur in any part of the body and affect it function makes it more difficult to treat.  Hence, there is a specific type of cancer for every part. Cancer is not something to be taken lightly. With millions of people dying each year because of the disease, hundreds or even thousands of research groups are being created to come up with a cure. Awareness groups are also established to help people become aware of the prevention, symptoms and treatment with cancer. As of today, the common treatments offered by medicine ranges from those that are centered on the extermination of the cancerous cells.  Examples of these treatments are chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and hormone therapy.  In order to make the treatment more effective, these must be selected depending on the location on where the cancer cells are as well as the stage it is currently in. However, these are not the only cancer treatment medicine available.  There are a lot of treatments out there that can help improve a cancer patient’s condition.  These are the treatments not offered by medicine but are those offered by nature. Alternative treatments are the non-conventional way of healing without the toxic substances that cause adverse and sometimes, even  deadly side effects.  It can help fight the cancer cells without experiencing nausea and weakness. Also, these are types of cancer treatment medicine that can be easily accessed and administered by cancer patients anywhere.

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This is a prostate cancer animation. Check out it for a more detailed explanation and video of how prostate cancer works.

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Salvage Prostate Cancer Treatment

This type of prostate cancer treatment involves brachytherapy. However, if brachytherapy is not successful then as the prostate gland has already undergone high radiation doses, further radiotherapy is not advised as a salvage treatment. In any case, radiotherapy would not be successful if brachytherapy has already failed. It is patients who have benign prostatic hyperplasia who should consider radiotherapy.

Click here for information about the bone cancer survival rate.

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Newer Forms of EBRT

IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) and 3D-CRT (Three Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy) are the newer forms of EBRT (External Beam Radiation Therapy) that work by the aiming of high energy particles at the cancerous tumors and tissue. This prostate cancer treatment is non-invasive and is therefore a great option for those patients who do not wish to undergo surgery or invasive treatment.

The PSA score of 10 or lower and the Gleason score of 6 and lower shows that the cancer is contained and localized and not spread to the surrounding tissues and organs. Both these types of prostate cancer treatment are ideal as they eradicate/destroy the cancer in the prostate without affecting or touching the organs that surround it. It is obvious that if the cancer has already spread, then the organs and tissues that surround the prostate gland are under greater risk.

Patients wishing to undergo prostate cancer treatment like radiotherapy should also consider the fact that ERT (External Radiation Therapy) may cause healthy tissue of the bladder and the rectum to be exposed to some of the radiation. If there are scars in the abdominal region due to previous surgery the risk of exposing the colon and the intestines to the extra radiation is greater. A man who has had radiation treatment earlier cannot have it again.

For more information, click here!

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This site is closely related to bone cancer and the effects and treatments that are available to that type of cancer. If you or someone you know is interested in learning about bone cancer or just cancer in general, this is a great site. Check it out for more information!

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Prostate Cancer Treatment via Radiation

Fractionated prostate cancer treatment by radiation:

This is an external beam radiation (EBR) where small doses of radiation are targeted over an area for a period of around 5 to 9 weeks depending on the patient. It was found that the cells that were healthy and normal could recover from the small doses of radiation very quickly while the cancerous ones could not. Those patients that choose to have this external radiation therapy should have the following:

• A PSA level of 10 or lower

• A Gleason score of 6 or lower

• Localized cancer that is contained in the prostate gland itself

• No abdominal scars due to previous surgeries

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Types of Prostate Cancer Treatment

Prostate cancer treatment is generally divided into three different categories that depend on the high energy wave used. These are:

• Proton Beam Therapy that uses protons

• Neuron Beam Therapy that uses neutrons

• 3D-CRT (Three Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy) that uses subatomic electrons to deliver high energy photon radiation waves.

Prostate cancer treatment by radiation has been used for a long time, since 1915. The first radiation treatment techniques did not really penetrate deeply enough to irradiate the cancerous tumors and resulted in skin cancer as well an increase in the mortality rate. By the 1980s, equipment like the linear accelerator was used by oncologists that increased speed of the high energy particles and aimed better at the target area.

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A unique look at a real-life cancer cell