Medical Information Center

Archive for the ‘Cancer’ Category

Eye cancer is a disease that until some time required a single treatment, which eventually ended up causing total or partial blindness in virtually all patients who carried him out, because it is a procedure based on radiation that severely damaged eyeballs.

Fortunately, a few days ago has unveiled a new method, known as “revolutionary”, to avoid side effects. Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Colorado, Scott Oliver, was in charge of planning this new way to treat eye cancer, which could be truly beneficial for patients with this disease.

The study was published in a magazine called “Archives of Ophthalmology”, in which Oliver explains in detail the procedure, which is based on silicone oil injected into the eye to protect it in a% 55 of the harmful radiation that is used to treat the disease, in order to avoid the undesirable side effect of vision loss.

Eye cancer can be of various kinds, but the most common and dangerous is called uveal melanoma. Oliver was based on the study of the disease, which can develop in people of any age and can be fatal if it spreads to vital organs like the liver or lungs.

As the method used to combat the disease is radiation therapy, Oliver believes that silicone oil may prevent cell death and prevent blindness, eye permanently.

Popularity: 100% [?]

if we talk about the most dangerous diseases and that more lives will be charged every year; we cannot fail to mention cancer in its different variants. While in the past two decades progress has been made more substantial in the fight against this disease and its consequences, the death rate for its cause remains extremely high.

With the objective of lowering the number of people dying from cancer each year are performed several studies and conferences in which health professionals out different ideas and alternatives to cope with the disease. Recently, the National Cancer Institute Washington, United States, announced it will begin working with several researchers to try to give answers to the questions that still could not be resolved.

The main idea is to understand the reason for the spread (metastasis) of tumors and then prepare a more effective method of combat, which would transform the chronic cancer using tools such as targeted therapy. The goal is simple: raise the quality of life and ensure that the percentage of fatal cases of cancer begins to decrease.

Researchers and doctors are still very cautious and do not want to raise false expectations. However, it is noteworthy that opens a new light for patients who suffer from some form of cancer. At first you probably will not achieve dramatic changes in terminal cases, but it is possible to increase the quality of life, which no longer a more than positive news.

Popularity: 46% [?]

The FDA (the U.S. Agency of Medicines), gave its approval to the first therapeutic vaccine against prostate cancer, designed for the own immune system to attack tumor. “Provenge” is the first therapy of its kind to support this regulatory agency.

It is indicated for those patients with prostate cancer who have stopped responding to hormone therapy. Though considered a vaccine, it is not a preventive measure to avoid the disease.

The treatment designed by a Seattle-based company, Dendreon Corp, encourages own defense system to attack cancer cells. This will extract the patient’s white blood cells, which are processed in the laboratory with a protein genetically modified to make them more potent against the tumor, then reintroduced in the blood of affected.

By using the person’s own blood cells, does not cause side effects that it produces currently used chemotherapy against this disease.

The phase III clinical trial IMPACT, involving 512 men with this type of tumor, found that Provenge reduced the risk of mortality in these patients by 22.5% compared with placebo and prolonged their survival an average of four months .

Following the move by the FDA, the company must supply the vaccine to approximately 50 U.S. centers and expects to increase its production capacity next year, which will expand its offices to other states.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Maybe the bars should consider changing their snacks and offer its visitors nuts instead of peanuts, because according to one study, these nuts have great health benefits for men. The great news is that eating nuts is not only good for the heart, but also to fight prostate cancer.

Researchers at the University of California-Davis, U.S., conducted a study in mice, to test the effects that the nuts were on their health. It is shown that after the nuts are beneficial for heart disease and that reduced levels of endothelin, a substance that increases blood vessel inflammation, pointing to the hypothesis that walnuts could also benefit other patients.

The Endothelin is a substance that also occurs in large doses in patients with prostate cancer. Therefore, invetigadores fed one group of mice genetically programmed to suffer this evil, and found that their tumors were 50% smaller and grew 30% slower than tumors in animals were not fed with walnuts.

Nutrition is one of the factors that affect the appearance of prostate cancer, and foods like nuts, olive oil and oily fish can contribute to the prevention of evil.

Properties nuts:

Its polyunsaturated vegetable oils can reduce up to 50% the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Because of its serotonin content, help to prevent hunger, so they are a good choice for your daily snacks. In addition, they give you lots of energy.

They are good source of vitamin E and have antioxidant properties.

With the zinc from nuts, you can maintain healthy skin and hair (and avoid problems of seborrhoea and balding).

Popularity: 20% [?]

Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. You can say it is a tricky disease because it may have no symptoms until it is very advanced. Similarly, evil than previously thought exclusive smokers affects 18% of people who never had the habit of smoking. People often confuse symptoms with other respiratory diseases.

Smoking remains the leading cause of lung cancer, but other environmental factors such as exposure to chemical pesticides and household cleaning, combined with genetic predisposition, may cause the condition. Doctors and researchers recommend not smoking as the best way to prevent lung cancer. Smokers are encouraged to be diligent with their medical examinations. Lung cancer is discovered in Stage 1 has higher chance of recovery.

Doctors advise smokers to undergo a computed tomography (CT scan) of low doses because they can detect signs of lung cancer better than chest X-rays.

People showing these symptoms should consult their doctor because they can distinguish between respiratory disease and lung cancer:

- Persistent cough

- Coughing up bloody mucus

- Choking sensation

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 16% [?]

Peritoneal cancer is a rare form of cancer that arises in the peritoneum, a thin sheet of fine lines within the abdomen and covers the uterus and covers the bladder and rectum. The peritoneum is composed of epithelial cells. By producing a lubricating fluid, peritoneum aid bodies move smoothly into the stomach. Peritoneal cancer looks and behaves like ovarian cancer, but very few involved ovary. Women who develop ovarian cancer, ovary removed soon after, probably peritoneal cancer.

The ovarian surface is also composed of epithelial cells. Therefore, peritoneal cancer and the most common form of cancer of the ovary, called epithelial cancer, producing some of the same symptoms and are often treated the same way. In addition, women at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, particularly because of the genetic mutations BRCA1 and BRCA2, are at increased risk of peritoneal cancer.

Symptoms of Peritoneal Cancer

In the early symptoms of peritoneal cancer is very vague and difficult to recognize. As ovarian cancer, the disease often produce no symptoms until the end of its development. When symptoms of peritoneal cancer does develop, they are similar to those of ovarian cancer. Symptoms include May:

* General malaise and abdominal pain, such as gas, indigestion, pressure, swelling, bloating or cramps
* Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, frequent urination and
* Loss of appetite
* Feeling full even after a light meal
* Gain or weight loss without known cause
* Abnormal vaginal bleeding

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 16% [?]

There are treatments for all patients with cervical cancer. Uses three kinds of treatment:

• Surgery (removing the cancer in an operation)
• Radiation therapy (high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells).
• Chemotherapy (drugs or “poison” to kill cancer cells).

The cancer can be removed using one of the following:

• Cryosurgery involves the removal of the cancer by freezing.
• The laser surgery is the use of a beam of intense light to kill cancer cells.
• Conization is the removal of a piece of fabric into a cone shape at the location of the abnormality. It is used for biopsies, but also for treatment of early cancers of the cervix.
• Electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) uses an electric current passes through a thin wire loop, which serves as a blade.
• A hysterectomy is an operation that removes the entire uterus, including the entire cervix and the cancer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 17% [?]

The following stages are used in the classification of cervical cancer:

Stage O

Stage O or carcinoma in situ. Carcinoma in situ is very early cancer. Abnormal cells are found only in the first layer of cells lining the cervix, and do not invade deeper tissues of the cervix.

Stage I

Cancer involves the cervix but has not spread to the surroundings.

Ia: a very small amount of cancer, visible only by microscope, is already in the deeper tissue of the cervix.

Ib: a larger amount of cancer found in this tissue.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 25% [?]