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CANCER
OF THE COLON AND RECTUM
Symptoms
When an illness affects the colon or
rectum, a number of symptoms may appear:
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Blood in or on the stool
- General stomach discomfort (bloating,
fullness)
- Frequent gas pains
- A feeling that the bowel doesn't empty
completely
- Loss of weight with no known reason
- Constant tiredness
These symptoms can be caused by a number
of problems such as the flu, ulcers and inflamed colon, or cancer.
Diagnosis
When a person's symptoms suggest that
there might be cancer in the colon or rectum, the doctor may :
- Ask about medical history
- Do a general checkup
- Check the rectal area
- Procto examination (sigmoidoscope)
- Lab tests (stool examination)
- Colonoscopy
- Biopsy
- X-ray of the colon
If a tumor is found and is benign, it
most likely can be removed with no further problems. However, if the
tumor is cancer, the doctor may want to start planning further
diagnostic tests or treatment.
Treatment
There are three main ways to treat cancer
of the colon and rectum: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
Another method, called immunotherapy, is now being studied in clinical
trials. The doctor may use just one method or combine them.
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LYMPHOMA
Lymphoma is a general term for cancers
that develop in the lymphatic system. They account for about 4% of all
cases of cancer in the UK.
The most common type of lymphoma is
called Hodgkin's disease. All other lymphomas are grouped together and
are called non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.
The lymphatic system is part of the
body's immunity defense system. Its job is to help fight diseases and
infection. Lymphatic vessels carry lymph. Along this network of vessels
are small, bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes. Clusters of lymph
nodes are found in the underarms, groin, neck, chest, and abdomen.
Other parts of the lymphatic system are
the spleen, thymus, tonsils, and bone marrow. Lymphatic tissue is also
found in other parts of the body, including the stomach, intestines, and
skin.
NON-HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA
In the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, cells in
the lymphatic system grow abnormally. They divide too rapidly and grow
without any order or control. Too much tissue is formed, and tumors
begin to grow. The cancer cells can also spread to other organs.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of non-Hodgkin's
lymphomas is a painless swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck,
underarm, or groin. Other symptoms may include fevers, night sweats,
tiredness, weight loss, itching, and reddened patches on the skin.
Sometimes there is nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain. As lymphomas
progress, the body is less able to fight infection.
These symptoms are not sure signs of
cancer, however. They may also be caused by many common illnesses, such
as the flu or other infections. But it is important to see a doctor if
any of these symptoms last longer than 2 weeks. Any illness should be
diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Diagnosis
The only sure way to tell whether cancer
is present is with a biopsy. Tissues from an enlarged lymph node is
removed. By examining this tissue under the microscope, a pathologist
can identify the cancer cells.
There are at least 10n types of
non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. When lymphoma is diagnosed, the doctor needs to
know what kind it is and the stage, or extent, of the disease. This
information is very important for planning treatment. The stage
indicates where the disease has spread and how much tissue is affected.
Treatment
Treatment planning takes into account the
type of lymphoma, the stage of disease, and the general health and age
of the patient. For low-grade lymphoma, the doctor may decide to wait
until the disease shows signs of spreading before starting treatment.
Treatment for intermediate or high-grade lymphomas usually involves
chemotherapy, with or without radiation therapy. In addition, surgery
may be needed to remove a large tumor.
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Lung
Cancer
Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths in both women
and men .
Causes of Lung Cancer
- Tobacco smoking is the
carcinogen (cancer inducing agent). The older you get the higher the
risk for death if you smoke. The more you smoke, the greater your
chances of dying.
- Passive smoking
- Environmental hazards,
like chemicals, Radon Gas and Asbestos
Types
of lung CanceR
- Squamous cell
carcinoma
- Adenocarcinoma .
- Small cell
undifferentiated carcinoma (OAT carcinoma).
Diagnosis
- X-Ray
- CT scan
- Tissue diagnosis,
through bronchoscopy, or fine needle aspiration biopsy under
radiology guidance.
Treatment
Determined by many factors like:
Stage, i.e. How far the tumour has spread.Histology type of the cancer ,
where different types of lung cancer have different prognosis and
therapies.
However treatment is done by either of two ways:
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Not smoking and stop smoking is the two most important things we should
do for ourselves and our beloved ones. Remember that you can not undo
all the damage from smoking.
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Smoking
- Giving up smoking is the best thing
ever for your health.
- Choose a day and quit. You will be
healthier and wealthier.
- Do not say it is impossible.others did
it after 45 years of continuous smoking.
- More than 1000 people give up smoking
every day. And that is only in the UK mind.
- You are twice as likely to die before
your time.
- You are two to three times more likely
to have a heart attack than a non smoker.
- Also, you are likely to put yourself
at risk from Lung-Cancer.
- It is not only you, also your
children, your partner, and all who surrounds you will be put at
risk as well.
- When you stop smoking, blood pressure
and pulse rate start to fall immediately. Breathing will become
easier. Improved erection and sperm counts. After five years, Lung
cancer risk is halved.
So give it a big kick and quit. You can
do it.
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Breast
Check
Early detection of breast cancer has a
very big role in the effective treatment. There are some active steps
you can take to reduce some of the risks and ensure you get prompt
treatment if you develop the disease.
Every woman should be breast aware so as to recognise any changes that
are abnormal to her. Changes can include:
- Pocking of the nipple
- Change in the natural curve
- A lump, or a Knot
- change in the skin texture or color
The best places to examine your breasts
are:
1. In the
shower:
Raise your arm, and
with your right hand , examine your left breast, starting from the
outer top and moving in a circular pattern until you reach the
nipple.
Press firmly enough to feel the tissue beneath..
Check the area above the breast and the arm pit for lumps or hard
knot.
Repeat on right breast.
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2. In front
of a mirror:
Place hands at your
sides and check breasts for changes in color, size, or shape, or
dimpling or scaling of the skin.
Check again, placing hands on hips, pressing elbows forward to
flex chest muscles, then raising hands and clasping behind head. |
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3. Lying
down:
With a pillow under
your left shoulder, raise your left hand above your hand and
examine your left breast as in step 1. Repeat on your right .
Gently squeeze each nipple to check for discharge.
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Examine your breasts once a month a
couple of days after your period.
Report any changes to your doctor.
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Breast
cancer drug said to damage heart
By PEGGY PECK, UPI Science News
WASHINGTON, July 17 -- A leading cardiologist is issuing a warning in the
July 18 issue of Circulation about a new cancer drug used to treat a very
lethal type of breast cancer. Dr. Arthur M. Feldman writes that
trastuzumab,
known as Herceptin, increases the risk of heart failure, which he said is
the number one killer of women.
Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody that targets the oncogene HER-2/neu.
This cancer-causing gene is found in the most aggressive breast cancers.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug for treatment of
metastatic breast cancers, but it is currently being tested for use in
cancers that have not yet spread beyond the breast. Dr. Feldman, director
of
the cardiovascular institute at the University of Pittsburgh, said he
decided to sound the alarm after "I began seeing a number of women
who were
treated with the drug."
He said that 7 percent of women who were treated with Herceptin by itself
developed heart failure, but that when the drug was given in combination
with anthracycline and cyclophosphamide -- two chemotherapy drugs -- the
"incidence of heart failure was 28 percent." Feldman said that
"about 5.5
million Americans have symptomatic or diagnosed heart failure and nearly
half of them are women." He said that heart failure
"predominates in younger
males but among women it predominates in postmenopausal women." The
same
group of women who are at increased risk for breast cancer, he says.
Feldman said he decided to write the editorial because he didn't make any
headway when he tried to raise his concerns with cancer specialists. He
said
he wants an "open forum with oncologists" to openly discuss
risks and
benefits.
Herceptin was developed by Genentech, Inc., and introduced with great
fanfare. It represents, according to its supporters, a triumph of genetic
engineering. One of those supporters, Robert Mass, M.D., Genentech's lead
clinical scientist on Herceptin, said that Feldman's "arguments
contain
fatal flaws" chief among them the claim that Herceptin offers no
longterm
survival benefit. Mass said that studies presented at two meetings of
cancer
specialists more than a year ago "indicate that Herceptin treatment
is
associated with a 25 percent survival advantage." Mass said that
Feldman
would have know these survival figures if "he had ever contacted
Genentech.
He never did."
Moreover, Mass said that when Feldman compares mortality for heart failure
and breast cancer, he "uses aggregate numbers not the mortality rates
associated with HER-2 cancers. "We treated over 1200 patients in
phase II
and phase III trials of Herceptin. Among those there were 9 patients who
died of congestive heart failure or cardiac-related events. Now, ask me
how
many of those patients died of metastatic breast cancer. Ninety percent,
90
percent of them died. That's a risk benefit analysis that I think makes
the
true point."
But the bottom line said Feldman is that, "heart failure is a
progressive
disease as cancer is a progressive disease but it is the number one killer
of women, not breast cancer." He argues that fear of cancer is
over-riding
logic. "I think the most interesting thing is that is someone were to
go to
the FDA with a new drug for heart failure or cholesterol or hypertension
--
all of which are leading killers of people -- and that drug was associated
with even a 1% incidence of cancer, it would never be approved by the FDA.
No manufacturer would take the drug to the FDA. Yet here is an anticancer
drug that is associated with a 28 percent incidence of heart failure and
it
is approved," Feldman said.
Mass countered that the 28 percent risk occurred when Herceptin was given
in combination with anthracycline "a known cardio-toxic agent.
Herceptin is
now only approved for combination therapy with taxol." He says that
in
combination with taxol the cardio-toxicity is 11 percent.
--
Copyright 2000 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
--
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