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Category Cancer

Important Facts You Need to Know About Stage

February 28, 2008

Important Facts You Need to Know About Stage 4 Colon Cancer

Colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, ranks number two as the most widespread cause of cancer-related deaths the US with approximately 130,000 new cases of the disease reported each year.

Colon cancer normally occurs in the last 6 feet of the large intestine (colon) and/or in the rectum. Cancerous cell growth in the colon and rectum areas is referred to as adenocarcinomas; large formations of these malignant cancer cells are called tumors.

Although the precise cause of colorectal cancer remains undetermined, some of the factors that increase the risk of developing the disease have been identified.

• Genetics play an important factor in determining colon cancer risk; medical research reveals that approximately 5% of colon cancer patients have inherited the disease or the genetic predisposition that trigger the development of disease.

• Prior history of bowel disease and/or colon polyps, benign growths of colon tissue. These are early indicators that the individual is more likely to develop colon cancer in latter stages of life. Similarly, any colon-related disorder that causes inflammation and irritation of the bowel increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

• Individuals who are obese or overweight have a higher risk factor in developing colorectal cancer.

• Individuals beyond the age of 50 and who are sedentary have a higher risk for developing colon cancer. A healthy and active lifestyle is necessary for the prevention of any type of cancer.

• Night shift work may increase the risk of colorectal cancer since exposure to artificial lights during nighttime inhibits the body's natural production of melatonin, a hormone that prevents certain intestinal cancers from flourishing.

Symptoms and Warning Signs of Colon Cancer

• Presence of blood in the stool or rectal area.

• Frequent feelings of urgent bowel movement.

• Recurring stomach or abdominal pains.

• Constipation, diarrhea, or pencil-thin stools.

• Severe feelings of fatigue.

• Lack of appetite.

Common tests for colon cancer are a digital rectal exam and a fecal occult blood test (FOBT). These tests alone can determine an individual’s susceptibility in developing colon cancer and can aid in the timely management and treatment of the disease. Other tests that may be necessary are sigmoidoscopy – the examination of the rectum and lower are of the colon or a colonoscopy – the viewing of the interior of the entire colon. These procedures are normally performed under local anesthetic since they cause undue discomfort to the patient. A lower gastrointestinal x-ray may also be employed in order to establish how much of the large intestine is affected by the disease.

A positive diagnosis of colon cancer requires more testing in order to establish the spread of the disease in the body. There are six different stages of colorectal cancer:
• Stage 0 – the earliest stage of colon cancer and the disease is still localized.

• Stage I – the cancerous cells have multiplied and invaded up to the second or third layers of the inside wall of the colon but has not yet metastasized beyond the colon.

• Stage II – the cancerous cells has metastasize beyond the colon but has not yet spread to the body’s lymph nodes.

• Stage III – neighboring lymph nodes are already affected but cancer cells have not yet spread to other organs or parts of the body.

• Stage IV – cancerous cells have spread all over the body.

• Stage V – the cancer reappears in the colon or in another part of the body.

Important, Facts, You, Need, to, Know, About, Stage, 4, Colon, Cancer

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Treatment Options for Colon Cancer

February 28, 2008

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Treatment, Options, for, Colon, Cancer

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A General Overview of Cervical Cancer

February 28, 2008

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A, General, Overview, of, Cervical, Cancer

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Treatment Options for Cervical Cancer

February 28, 2008

Cervical cancer patients have various treatment options available to them, both traditional and non-traditional.

Types of Surgical Procedures
1. Cone biopsy or conization is the removal of a conical shape tissue from the cervix and cervical canal for microscopic study in order to establish a potentially cancerous cervical condition.

2. The removal of the uterus and the cervix either through the vagina or the abdomen.

3. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is the removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes.

4. Radical hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, cervix, and part of the vagina and which may also include the ovaries, fallopian tubes and adjacent lymphatic nodes.

5. Pelvic exenteration is the surgical removal of the lower colon, rectum, bladder, cervix, vagina, ovaries and adjacent lymph nodes. After such a surgical procedure, openings are made on the patient in order to facilitate the flow of urine and stool directly into a plastic or rubberized collection bag. Reconstructive surgery is also required to make an artificial vagina for the patient.

6. Cryosurgery procedure to freeze and destroy abnormal and cancerous tissues.

7. Laser surgical procedure to cut tissue and/or remove a tumor.

8. Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is the use of controlled electrical in the removal of cancerous tissue.

Radiation Therapy
Internal or external radiation therapy utilizes radioactive substances in killing cancerous cells.

Chemotherapy
A treatment procedure that uses drugs to arrest cancerous cell growths wherein drugs are administered either orally or by intravenous/intramuscular injection.

Other Treatment Choices
Aside from these conventional cancer treatment options for cervical cancer, patients also have the choice of undergoing non-traditional therapies such as acupuncture, herbal medicine or dietary supplements for the management of the symptoms and/or the cancer itself.

1. Acupuncture has been used by the Chinese for thousands of years for the management and control of pain. It involves putting thin needles into the skin at particular points on the body to increase the flow of energy on the body’s meridians. Present studies prove that acupuncture is effective in the treatment and management of pain and useful for stroke rehabilitation, migraines, chronic back pain and asthma.

Acupuncture is only performed by state licensed and certified acupuncturist who have undergone training and passed the licensure exams and requirements. It has almost zero side effects since the only risk arises from the use of non-sterile needles.

Very often, acupuncture is recommended by medical practitioners as a complementary treatment with traditional medications.

2. Herbal medicines and natural dietary supplements are vitamins and minerals which are herbs or plants extract in capsule, tablet, or liquid form generally used to augment the food we eat. Usual dietary supplements are vitamins and minerals and other necessary substances derived from natural sources. These supplements generally contribute to an individual’s health maintenance and well-being and have been used for thousands of years to treat various illnesses; some of these supplements are the foundation for some modern medications like aspirin.

Overall, medical experts agree that dietary supplements are safe but just like conventional medicines; they may cause side effects and allergic reactions.

If you are willing to undergo traditional and non-traditional treatments, it is best to always inform your doctor especially if you are already taking dietary supplements since it may interact with your conventional medications and aggravate your conditions.

Treatment, Options, for, Cervical, Cancer

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Traditional and Non-Traditional Cancer Treatment

February 28, 2008

The Best of Both Worlds – Traditional and Non-Traditional Cancer Treatment Centers

The combination of traditional, non-traditional (alternative) and integrative cancer treatment options provide patients with a multi-disciplinary approach to the treatment of cancer.

Compared to the old patient-disease-treatment model, a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer treatment recognizes that the patient’s emotion and physical condition are also important factors in curing the disease. Treatment is not simply applying or utilizing the required medical procedure or medication but becomes a complete approach to strengthen the patient’s body, emotions and well being as a whole.

With most cancer treatment centers offering the complete approach (a combination of the traditional, alternative and integrative healing processes) today’s cancer patients now have a say in the types of treatment of that can be used or administered to them in fighting cancer.

No longer are patients just diagnosed and given a list of medication to take they also become an integral part of the treatment process by having the option to choose the type of treatment processes they prefer be it surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, nutritional and physical therapy including the necessary emotional and spiritual counseling.

Medical practitioners are now more aware that an individual’s emotion, spiritual and physical conditions are determining factors in choosing the most appropriate cancer treatment combination in order to achieve a higher degree of success.

Improved cancer treatment methods are now employed in the fight against cancer such as:

In conjunction with the basic cancer treatment models such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, the use of biotherapy to stimulate or enhance the body’s immune system responses is also widely gaining ground.

• Biotherapy, a procedure that controls the body’s processes that permit cancer growth, making cancerous cells more recognizable and more susceptible to destruction by the body’s immune system.

• Immunotherapy – the utilization of the body’s immune system to fight the spread of cancer cells.

• Another non-traditional cancer treatment option is hormonal therapy which is more and more frequently employed for the treatment of breast and prostate cancer. Although the treatment has some negative side effects, it has been proven effective in preventing cancer cells from getting the essential hormones they require to multiply, especially if cancerous cells test positive for the presence of estrogen, progesterone, and/or testosterone receptors. This treatment may include the use of drugs that change the way hormones work, or surgery to remove the ovaries that make female hormones, or the testicles, which produce male hormones.

• Local Hyperthermia treatment wherein body tissues are exposed to very high temperatures (up to 106ºF) to damage and kill cancer cells. The procedure is commonly used as an adjunct with other cancer treatment options like radiation therapy, chemotherapy and biological therapy for maximum effectiveness.

• Photodynamic Therapy is a newly approved cancer treatment option for esophageal cancer and early stage lung cancer and has shown a higher than 90% effectivity. It is a two-step procedure performed on an outpatient basis. A patient is injected with a light-activated drug that targets cancerous cells and is exposed to laser light after 24 to 48 hours through a scope thereby subjecting cancerous cells to a light which activates the drug and destroys cancerous cells without damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

• Radiofrequency Ablation or Radiofrequency Hyperthermic Tumor Ablation (RFA) technology melts away cancerous liver tumors through a technology that sends electrical energy to cancerous liver tumors via a specialized catheter. The process may be employed for the treatment of multiple lesions; applied during surgical procedure through the skin and positioned in the center of the cancerous tumor. The procedure provides faster and more targeted treatment.

• Stem Cell Transplantation or autologous or allogeneic peripheral blood or bone marrow transplantation.

All of the above treatment options however are slowly being paired or used in conjunction with alternative treatment methods like that includes a comprehensive program involving nutrition, fitness (with exercises like yoga, tai chi and meditation) in an integrative treatment method which is designed to treat the person as a whole being and not just the disease or its symptoms.

Integrative medicine as it is referred to in most cancer treatment centers is a working partnership between the patient and the doctor geared towards the treatment of the individual including the mind (emotional), body (physical) and spirit (character) all at the same time and not one at a time.

The approach is a combination of the traditional, complementary and non-traditional treatments which include herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, yoga and stress reduction techniques in conjunction with conventional medication.

The practice is continually gaining acceptance among medical practitioners due to the logical foundation that there is a definite interaction between the human brain and the body’s immune system, a definitive connection between emotions and disease which makes an integrative approach the most logical and primary approach to treatment.