Mesothelioma Cancer

Awareness

2009-10-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Be carefull for all Parents !!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFI1JOLrVbo

Bowel Cancer Symptoms

2009-07-22T01:24:00.004-07:00

Bowel cancer

Written by Prof. Jonathan Rhodes, consultant gastroenterologist

What is bowel cancer?

Bowel is the general term for the long muscular tube that starts at the bottom of the stomach and ends at the anus.

The first part of the bowel is involved with the digestion of food and is known as the 'small bowel' because the tube is narrower here.

The 'large bowel' follows the small bowel and in a healthy person, the main part of the large bowel (colon) is responsible mostly for absorbing water from the faeces. The last part of the large bowel is known as the rectum, which leads to the anus.

Bowel (colorectal) cancer is cancer of the colon or rectum, and it arises from the cells that line the bowel. The small bowel is strikingly free from cancer risk, and almost all bowel cancers arise in the large bowel.

About 6 per cent of the population in Western countries develop bowel cancer at some time during their lives, making this the second commonest cause of cancer-related death. However, it is curable in 40 to 50 per cent of cases, usually by surgery.

The cancer develops when one of the cells in the colon develops a series of changes (mutations) in some of the genes that control how the cell divides and survives. As a result, the cell divides uncontrollably to form a clump of malignant (cancerous) cells. Initially, these cell changes commonly produce a polyp (a clump of abnormal cells the size of a pea on the end of a stalk of normal cells) called an adenoma.

At this stage, an adenoma is still pre-cancerous (a stage at which it may or may not become cancer), and probably only about 5 per cent of the polyps progress further to become life-threatening cancers.

The polyp enlarges very slowly, probably over about 10 years, up to between 1cm and about 5cm in diameter. The abnormal cells first invade the stalk of the polyp, then the underlying tissue of the colon to which the stalk is attached. This invasion indicates that cancer has developed. The patient will then usually have symptoms, which can include bleeding from the ulcerated tip of the cancer and diarrhoea caused by disturbance in the muscle activity of the colon or to obstruction. The risk of invasive cancer becomes appreciable once the polyp diameter has exceeded 1cm.

About 30 per cent of bowel cancers arise from flat lesions and do not pass through a polyp stage. This particularly occurs with cancers of the proximal (right-sided) colon and caecum.

If the cancer is not removed quickly, cancerous cells can break off from the tumour and move through veins or lymph vessels to form tumour growths (called metastases or secondaries) elsewhere, particularly in lymph glands or in the liver. The cure rate falls sharply once this has happened.

The average age when bowel cancer is first discovered is 65, and it becomes increasingly common with advancing age. Very occasionally, it may affect much younger adults from the age of 20. The rates do not differ strikingly between the sexes, although men are slightly more prone to developing rectal cancer and women to developing cancer of the caecum. This is the point where the appendix is attached.

The appendix itself is rarely the site of cancer, although it can be the site of a much rarer tumour called a 'carcinoid'. Previous appendicectomy (removal of the appendix) seems to have no effect on the subsequent risk of bowel cancer.

What causes bowel cancer?

No cancers are fully understood, but bowel cancer is better understood than most.

Studies of migrating populations, for example Japanese migrants who move to Hawaii, have shown that people rapidly acquire the risk of developing bowel cancer that is found in the country to which they have moved.

About 90 per cent of the risk for bowel cancer is thought to be due to dietary factors, with the other 10 per cent due to genetic (inherited) factors.

Dietary factors

Dietary factors that increase bowel cancer risk are not yet clearly defined. Populations with a high-fibre intake tend to have a low risk of bowel cancer. However, the results of studies in which people, usually those who have already developed polyps, have been given high-fibre diets are disappointing.

It now seems as though the beneficial effect of fibre is not simply due to its mechanical effect on helping the bowel to regularly pass faeces.

Evidence suggests that vegetable fibre is more protective that cereal fibre. Recent studies have also shown that specific chemicals in vegetables, for example the isothiocyanates, which give brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower) their characteristic pungent taste, might be especially protective against cancer. A high intake of calories and obesity are both risk factors for bowel cancer, and a high intake of red meat is also linked with increased risk.

The best available approaches for a low risk of developing bowel cancer are:

a diet high in green vegetables, particularly cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts or cauliflower.
a diet low in red meat. In particular, avoid burnt meat, which contains cancer-promoting chemicals called cyclic amines.
keeping to a normal body weight and taking regular exercise.
Although still controversial, it seems that taking aspirin (eg Disprin) regularly (300mg per day or more ie one standard tablet) reduces the risk by about 50 per cent. However, prolonged use of aspirin carries a risk of intestinal ulceration and bleeding, so whether the benefits would outweigh the risks is unclear at present.

Genetic factors

Approximately 10 per cent of bowel cancers have a strong genetic factor. The commonest is hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC or Lynch syndrome). This condition is caused by mutation in any one of at least five different genes. These genes carry the instructions for manufacturing proteins that can repair damaged DNA.

Inheritance of this type of cancer is autosomal dominant, which means that half the children of someone with HNPCC are at risk of inheriting the condition. When these genes are defective, DNA repair does not take place, and damaged (mutant) DNA accumulates within cells, greatly increasing the cancer risk.

The colon is not the only organ affected. The syndrome also carries an increased risk of cancers of the stomach, ovaries, breasts and uterus.

The bowel cancers in affected individuals tend to develop as flat lesions rather than as polyps. The cancers more commonly affect the proximal (right sided) colon, whereas other cancers are more common in the distal colon (nearer the rectum) or rectum. They occur at a younger age and this condition should be suspected in anyone who develops bowel cancer before the age of 45.

About 1 per cent of bowel cancers occur in people who inherit a defect in the gene for familial polyposis coli. These people develop hundreds of adenomatous (pre-cancerous) polyps in the colon by the time they are in their teens and almost invariably develop bowel cancer by middle age unless the colon is removed.

Patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease of the colon (conditions that together affect about 1 in 800 of the population in Western countries) have about a five-fold increased risk of bowel cancer.

The risk is greater if the colitis (colon inflammation) seen in both conditions affects the whole colon, and if it has been present for more than ten years. The risk is probably reduced by regularly taking mesalazine (5-aminosalicylic acid), a medication that is widely used to reduce the risk of relapse in these diseases.

What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?

Because early cancers often cause no symptoms, screening of symptom-free individuals is being considered. About 85 per cent of people with bowel cancer are currently not diagnosed until the cancer has penetrated through the bowel wall or spread to lymph nodes or elsewhere. Cure is nevertheless still possible. The earliest symptom is often bleeding from the back passage. Later changes include loss of the normal form of bowel motions sometimes followed by diarrhoea.

Constipation can also occur. If the growth starts to block the bowel then colicky lower abdominal pain (ie coming in waves each of which lasts for a few minutes) can develop. If the bowel becomes completely obstructed, severe abdominal pain and vomiting occurs, followed by complete constipation. This obstruction is a surgical emergency requiring immediate admission to hospital, since the bowel is at risk of becoming gangrenous if the obstruction is not relieved.

In the proximal colon, the lumen (the space inside) is larger (about 4 or 5cm in diameter) and less likely to become obstructed. Cancers of this part of the colon, including the caecum, tend to show themselves very subtly as iron-deficiency anaemia, due to loss of small amounts of blood over a long period of time. The anaemia can lead to symptoms of pallor, shortness of breath or simply tiredness.

Cancers of the rectum typically cause rectal bleeding, which can easily be mistaken for bleeding haemorrhoids (piles). Other symptoms include the feeling that you haven't fully emptied your bowel accompanied by a need to frequently empty the bowel. Loss of appetite and weight loss tend to be late features in bowel cancer.

Bone Cancer Treatment

2009-07-22T01:24:00.003-07:00

Osteoblasts in Prostate Cancer Metastasis to Bone

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males and the second leading cause of death from cancer in men. Surgical and hormonal therapies have shown beneficial effects only for early-stage, hormone-responsive disease. Cancer cells that become hormone-independent also become highly invasive, and they reach a clinical stage associated with an increased incidence of skeletal metastases as the disease progresses. Most patients with advanced prostate cancer will experience complications from bone metastases that are incurable. The involvement of the skeleton by metastatic prostate cells occurs in a predictable manner, with lesions tending to appear first in the axial skeleton and subsequently in the appendicular skeleton. Owing to its effects on both haematopoiesis and bone structure, metastasis to bone is a major cause of morbidity for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Replacement of haematopoietic tissues in the bone marrow by the metastatic prostate cancer cells leads to anaemia and increases the susceptibility to infection. Bone overgrowth can lead to pain, fractures and spinal-cord compression, the latter of which can lead to HEMIPARESIS or PARESIS.

However, metastases from the relatively uncommon neuroendocrine tumours of the prostate also produce osteolytic lesions

Role of osteoblasts and osteoclasts in bone remodelling.
Bone mass is maintained by a balance between the activity of osteoblasts (right), which form bone, and osteoclasts (left), which break it down. Normally, bone formation and bone resorption are closely coupled processes involved in the normal remodelling of bone. Osteoblasts make bone by producing a matrix that then becomes mineralized. Osteoblasts also regulate osteoclast activity through expression of cytokines such as receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), which activates osteoclast differentiation, and osteoprotegerin (OPG), which inhibits RANKL. Factors that are known to stimulate osteoblast proliferation or differentiation are bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and WNT. The WNT antagonist DKK blocks osteoblast proliferation. Osteoclasts are large multinucleate cells that break down bone and are responsible for bone resorption.

The classic bone-forming appearance of bone metastases from prostate cancer is apparent on both radiographical and histological analyses. Plain radiographs (X-rays) demonstrate characteristic osteoblastic lesions. Histopathological analysis of prostate cancer bone metastases typically shows substantial numbers of osteoblasts adjacent to prostate cancer cells, whereas few or no osteoblasts can be seen in normal bone or in bone metastases from other types of cancer (kidney and lung cancers, and most cases of breast cancer), which most often show osteoclasts in cancer-affected regions. The observation that prostate cancer metastasis to bone is associated with increased osteoblast activity is supported by the finding that serum levels of markers of osteoblast proliferation, such as bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, are increased in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

A cascade of events is required for prostate cancer cells to metastasize to bone. Prostate cancer cells must first localize, or 'home', to the bone, and tumour progression then occurs there. Although the two characteristic features of metastases from prostate cancer (tropism for bone and osteoblastic lesions) were reported long ago, it has not been clear whether the bone overgrowth typical of these lesions was a mere reflection of tumour growth within the bone, or whether bone growth is an important determinant of prostate tumour progression. Recent data indicate that the ability of prostate cancer cells to induce bone formation seems to be essential for tumour progression at this site. How do the features of prostate cancer cells influence osteoblast biology, and how do these features facilitate the formation of lesions in bone

Blood Test for Breast Cancer

2009-07-22T01:23:00.002-07:00

Blood Test For Breast Cancer
Biochemists Develop Proteomic Test For Breast Cancer

Biochemists look at 22 protein biomarkers to distinguish patients with breast cancer from those without it. The early detection test complements mammograms and is most applicable to women who are at a high risk for the disease.

The test analyzes blood serum and researchers are using a similar process to develop

a test for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

A new blood test could tell you if you have breast cancer before it shows up on a mammogram.

They've created a test that can detect breast cancer even when a mammogram doesn't. It's called the BC-SeraPro.

Proteomics is similar to genetic testing, but while genetic testing screens for disease causing genes, proteomics looks for certain protein markers in a person's blood.

"The method analyzes specific proteins and these proteins show what is going on with the patient in terms of the disease and how the disease is playing out on the patient," Dr. Goldknopf says.

Early studies show the BC-SeraPro has a 90% success rate. It's just one of two tests being launched by Power3 medical. "Any disease that has a need we will be able to find a blood test for," says Steve Rash, CEO of Power3 Medical.

Doctors say this test is ideal for women who are considered at high risk for breast cancer. The test should be available in breast cancer clinics early next year.

WHAT ARE BLOOD MARKERS? A blood marker is any component in the blood that's associated with a condition, disease or symptom. Blood markers can indicate whether a system is healthy and functioning properly or if there's something wrong. In recent years, several studies have shown that higher amounts of proteins in the blood may be associated with various diseases. ABOUT BREAST CANCER: Breast cancer is a type of cancer in which cells in the breast become abnormal and grow and divide uncontrollably, eventually forming a mass called a tumor. Malignant tumors have cells that can invade nearby tissues. More than 75 percent of breast cancers begin in the milk ducts within the breast.

A total of 177 women took part, all of whom already had stage 4 breast cancer, the most advanced form of the disease.

The new test reportedly will reduce the waiting time to just weeks.

Cells from malignant tumors can break off and travel through lymphatic and blood vessels. If the new test shows that a woman has no circulating cancer cells, she may not need further treatment. If the test shows that lots of cells are circulating, more aggressive treatment is indicated.

Researchers also plan to investigate whether the new test also works for patients with colon, lung and prostate cancer.

Blood test finds breast cancer at its earliest stage

Researchers have claimed that scans can actually trigger the disease in some women

A new blood test that detects breast cancer at its earliest stage could become a vital weapon in fighting the disease.

Scientists found the test could pinpoint cancer long before it would show up using other methods.

Trial results showed it was up to 1,000 times more sensitive than existing tests.

Breast cancer is the most common female cancer, with 1.1million new cases each year.

Cancer specialists found radiation from the X-rays leaves those with a family history of breast cancer more than 50 per cent more likely to develop it.

The new blood test offers the best hope.

Early detection of cancer gives the best chance of effective treatment. "Our pilot studies show that using blood samples, breast cancer and several other types of epithelial cancers (ovarian, prostate, melanoma) can be detected with much better sensitivity and specificity," she said.

It would also help in distinguishing malignant and benign tumours and in monitoring cancer therapy.

Stephen Duffy, Cancer Research UK's professor of screening, said further trials are needed before the test can be used by doctors.

Bladder Cancer Treatments

2009-07-22T01:23:00.001-07:00

Treatment

Treatment for bladder cancer depends on the stage of the disease, the type of cancer, and the patient's age and overall health. Options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy. In some cases, treatments are combined (e.g., surgery or radiation and chemotherapy, preoperative radiation).

Surgery

In early bladder cancer, the tumor may be removed (resected) using instruments inserted through the urethra (transurethral resection).

Bladder cancer that has spread to surrounding tissue (e.g., Stage T2 tumors, Stage T3a tumors) usually requires partial or radical removal of the bladder (cystectomy). Complications include infection, urinary stones, and urine blockages. In women with T2 to T3a tumors, the standard surgical procedure is radical cystectomy (removal of the bladder and surrounding organs) with pelvic lymphadenectomy. Radical cystectomy in women also involves removal of the uterus (womb), ovaries, fallopian tubes, anterior vaginal wall (front of the birth canal), and urethra (tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body). Segmental cystectomy (partial removal of the bladder), which is a bladder-preserving procedure, may be used in some cases (e.g., patients with squamous cell carcinomas or adenocarcinomas that arise high in the bladder dome). Urinary Tract Diversion

Until recently, most bladder cancer patients who underwent cystectomy (bladder removal) required an ostomy (surgical creation of an artificial opening) and an external bag to collect urine. Newer reconstructive surgical methods include the continent urinary reservoir, the neobladder, and the ileal conduit.

Complications of the ileal conduit procedure include bowel obstruction, urinary tract infection (UTI), blood clots, pneumonia, upper urinary tract damage, and skin breakdown around the stoma.

What is Bladder Cancer?

The bladder is an expandable, hollow organ in the pelvis that stores urine (the body's liquid waste) before it leaves the body during urination. The urinary tract, made up of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra, is lined with a layer of transitional cells called the urothelium. The lamina propria separates tumors that have spread into muscle (called invasive cancer) from those that have not (superficial or non-invasive cancers).

Bladder cancers are malignant tumors that begin in the bladder. Different bladder cancers are described by how deep they grow and if they grow into the bladder or through the muscles around the bladder (superficial or invasive).

There are three types of bladder cancer: transitional cell carcinoma, or TCC (about 90% of bladder cancer cases); squamous cell carcinomas (about 8%); and adenocarcinomas (about 2%). All three types can metastasize beyond the bladder.

Bladder Cancer - Treatment Overview

The choice of treatment and the long-term outcome (prognosis) for people who have bladder cancer depends on the stage and grade of cancer. Bladder cancer is usually curable if it is diagnosed while the cancer is still contained in the bladder, and up to 80% of bladder cancers are diagnosed at this early stage.3

Treatment choices for bladder cancer may include:

Surgery to remove the cancer. Surgery, either alone or in combination with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or biological therapy, is used more than 90% of the time to treat bladder cancer.1

Chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells using medications. Radiation therapy to destroy cancer cells using high-dose X-rays or other high-energy rays. Biological therapy to boost your body's immune system to fight cancer cells. This therapy is commonly used to prevent the return (recurrence) of bladder cancer.

Initial treatment

Surgery is used to treat most stages of bladder cancer.

Transurethral resection (TUR) is used to remove large superficial bladder tumors or tumors that penetrate more deeply into the tissue but have not spread outside the bladder.

Surgical removal of the bladder (cystectomy) is usually done for the most advanced stages of cancer that is confined to the bladder. Cystectomy may also be done for high-grade bladder cancers or when there are multiple tumors in the bladder.

Chemotherapy uses medications to destroy cancer cells. For superficial bladder cancer, the medications may be delivered directly into the bladder using a catheter (intravesically). Radiation therapy, which uses high-dose X-rays or other high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells, is one of the standard treatments for certain types of bladder cancer. Home treatment can help manage some of the side effects of radiation therapy.

Biological therapy is most often used for superficial bladder cancer.

Bladder Cancer Treatment

2009-07-22T01:22:00.003-07:00

Bladder cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the bladder.

There are three types of bladder cancer that begin in cells in the lining of the bladder. These cancers are named for the type of cells that become malignant (cancerous):

Transitional cell carcinoma: Cancer that begins in cells in the innermost tissue layer of the bladder. Most bladder cancers begin in the transitional cells.

Squamous cell carcinoma: Cancer that begins in squamous cells, which are thin, flat cells that may form in the bladder after long-term infection or irritation.

Adenocarcinoma: Cancer that begins in glandular (secretory) cells that may form in the bladder after long-term irritation and inflammation.

Cancer that is confined to the lining of the bladder is called superficial bladder cancer. Cancer that begins in the transitional cells may spread through the lining of the bladder and invade the muscle wall of the bladder or spread to nearby organs and lymph nodes; this is called invasive bladder cancer.

Bladder Cancer Overview

The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen (pelvis).

As it fills with urine, the muscular wall of the bladder stretches and the bladder gets larger.

The urine is then expelled from the bladder.

As the cells multiply, they form an area of abnormal cells. Medical professionals call this a tumor.

Tumors are cancerous only if they are malignant.

Of the different types of cells that form the bladder, the cells lining the inside of the bladder wall are most likely to develop cancer. The resulting cancers are named after the cell types.

Urothelial carcinoma (transitional cell carcinoma): This is by far the most common type of bladder cancer in the United States. The so-called transitional cells are normal cells that form the innermost lining of the bladder wall. In transitional cell carcinoma, these normal lining cells undergo changes that lead to the uncontrolled cell growth characteristic of cancer.

In the United States, urothelial carcinomas account for more than 90% of all bladder cancers.

The kidneys, the ureters (narrow tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder), the bladder, and the urethra are lined with these cells.

Bladder cancers are classified (staged) by how deeply they invade into the bladder wall, which has several layers. Many physicians subdivide bladder cancer into superficial and invasive disease. Superficial bladder cancer is limited to the innermost linings of the bladder (known as the mucosa and lamina propria). Invasive bladder cancer has at least penetrated the muscular layer of the bladder wall.

Nearly all adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas are invasive. Thus, by the time these cancers are detected, they have usually already invaded the bladder wall.

Many urothelial cell carcinomas are not invasive.

In addition to stage (how deep the cancer penetrates in the bladder wall), the grade of the bladder cancer provides important information and can help guide treatment. Cells from a high-grade cancer have more changes in form and have a greater degree of abnormality when viewed microscopically than do cells from a low-grade tumor.

Low-grade tumors are less aggressive.

Benign (noncancerous) papillary tumors (papillomas) grow projections out into the hollow part of the bladder. A small percentage (15%) do invade the bladder wall. Some invasive papillary tumors grow projections both into the bladder wall and into the hollow part of the bladder.

In addition to papillary tumors, bladder cancer can develop in the form of a flat, red (erythematous) patch on the mucosal surface. Of all types of cancer, bladder cancer has an unusually high propensity for recurring after treatment. Bladder cancer has a recurrence rate of 50%-80%. Bladder cancer is most common in industrialized countries.

Bladder cancer affects three times as many men as women. Whites, both men and women, develop bladder cancers twice as often as other ethnic groups.

The treatment of bladder cancer depends on how deep the tumor invades into the bladder wall. Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity.". Untreated, superficial tumors may gradually begin to infiltrate the muscular wall of the bladder. The hemocyanin found in Concholepas concholepas blood has immunotherapeutic effects against bladder and prostate cancer. In a research made in 2006 mice were primed with C. concholepas before implantation of bladder tumor (MBT-2) cells.

Biopsy Breast

2009-07-22T01:22:00.001-07:00

Indications for Breast Biopsy

A breast biopsy involves removing a sample of breast tissue to determine whether it is cancerous or benign (non-cancerous). While physical breast exam, mammography, ultrasound, and other breast imaging methods can help detect a breast abnormality, biopsy followed by pathological (microscopic) analysis is the only definitive way to determine if cancer is present.

Breast Biopsy Overview

A breast biopsy involves removing a sample of breast tissue to determine whether it is cancerous or benign (non-cancerous). There are several different types of breast biopsy. the location of the abnormality in the breast and in relation to other anatomic structures

the number of abnormalities detected during physical examination or with x-ray imaging

Many biopsy methods rely on image guidance to help the radiologist or breast surgeon precisely locate the lesion (abnormality) within the breast. Imaging may be necessary when a lesion (breast abnormality) cannot be felt during examination and is only detected on imaging studies such as mammography or ultrasound. Biopsy methods that may require image guidance include:

fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA)

core needle biopsy

vacuum-assisted biopsy (Mammotome or MIBB)

large core biopsy (ABBI)

open surgical biopsy (excisional or incisional)

Of these methods, FNA, core needle, and vacuum-assisted biopsies are performed as percutaneous ("through the skin") procedures rather than surgical biopsies. Click on one of the biopsy methods listed above for a detailed explanation of the procedure.

Digital Spot-View Mammography Improves Breast Biopsy

Digital spot view mammography is often used during breast biopsy and typically allows a faster and more accurate stereotactic biopsy. With digital spot-view mammography, images are acquired digitally and displayed immediately on the system monitor. Traditional stereotactic biopsy requires a mammogram film be exposed, developed and then reviewed, significantly increasing the time before the breast biopsy can be completed. Today, the majority of facilities use digital mammography when image guidance is needed for stereotactic biopsy.

What is Stereotactic (Mammographically Guided) Breast Biopsy?

Lumps or abnormalities in the breast are often detected by physical examination, mammography, or other imaging studies. Image-guided needle biopsy is not designed to remove the entire lesion, but most of a very small lesion may be removed in the process of biopsy.

Image-guided biopsy is performed when the abnormal area in the breast is too small to be felt, making it difficult to locate the lesion by hand (called palpation).

In stereotactic breast biopsy, a special mammography machine uses ionizing radiation to help guide the radiologist’s instruments to the site of the abnormal growth.

How is the procedure performed?

Image-guided, minimally invasive procedures such as stereotactic breast biopsy are most often performed by a specially trained radiologist.

Breast biopsies are usually done on an outpatient basis.

The breast is compressed and held in position throughout the procedure.

Several stereotactic pairs of x-ray images are taken.

X-ray images are again obtained to confirm that the needle tip is actually within the lesion.

Tissue samples are then removed using one of two methods.

In a core needle biopsy, the automated mechanism is activated, moving the needle forward and filling the needle trough, or shallow receptacle, with ‘cores’ of breast tissue. With a vacuum-assisted device (VAD), vacuum pressure is used to pull tissue from the breast through the needle into the sampling chamber. After the sampling, the needle will be removed.

Beta Prostate

2009-07-22T01:21:00.002-07:00

Beta Prostate

What is a prostate?
This walnut-sized gland is a crucial part of the male reproductive system, serving an important sexual function. Found at the base of your bladder, the prostate gland surrounds the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the male reproductive organ. The prostate gland secretes some of the seminal fluid that's combined with sperm during ejaculation. This fluid acts as both a lubricant, helping to prevent infection in the urethra, and as a booster, protecting and energizing the sperm. Protecting the health of the prostate should be a priority for all men.

Beta microseminoprotein is not a prostate-specific protein. Its identification in mucous glands and secretions.

Beta microseminoprotein (beta inhibin, PSP94), an unglycosylated protein of 94 amino acids with unknown function, is one of the predominating proteins in the secretion of the human prostate gland.

According to radioimmunoassay, beta microseminoprotein immunoreactivity is present in many nonprostatic body fluids.

According to gel chromatography, the molecular size of the beta microseminoprotein immunoreactivity present in tracheal fluid, gastric juice, and secretion from the uterine cervix did not differ from that of beta microseminoprotein in seminal plasma. The beta microseminoprotein immunoreactive component present in gastric juice had the same amino-terminal amino acid sequence as prostatic beta microseminoprotein (14 residues identified in material purified from gastric juice), providing further evidence for chemical identity of a nonprostatic beta microseminoprotein with the prostatic protein.

The pattern of tissue distribution of beta microseminoprotein found in this work indicates a connection of beta microseminoprotein with mucous secretions.

Best Treatment for Prostate Cancer

2009-07-22T01:21:00.001-07:00

What Is The Best Treatment For Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer treatment is complex. Doctors and patients much choose among prostatectomy, radiotherapy, watchful waiting, hormone therapy and other treatments. Prostate Cancer Treatments cover a wide range of approaches that impact life expectancy differently.

Survival and Lie Expectancy in Localized Prostate Cancer

83% for prostatectomy

72% for watchful waiting

What are some of the Treatment options for prostate cancer?

The Treatment options for prostate cancer depend in part on whether the tumor has spread. For tumors that are still inside the prostate, radiation therapy (using x-rays that kill the cancer cells) and a surgery called radical prostatectomy are common treatment options. "Watchful waiting" is also a treatment option. In this approach, no treatment is given until the tumor gets bigger. Generally, tumors that have grown beyond the edge of the prostate can't be cured with either radiation or surgery.

Radical prostatectomy is a surgery to remove the whole prostate gland and the nearby lymph nodes.

If you're in good health, the short-term risks of this surgery are low. The main advantage of surgery is that it offers the most certain treatment. That is, if all of the cancer is removed during surgery, you are probably cured. Surgery does have risks and complications.

What is radiation therapy?

There are 2 types of radiation therapy. In another type, radioactive pellets (called "seeds") are injected into the prostate gland. Both types work about the same in curing prostate cancer.

In seed therapy, higher doses of radiation can be put right on the cancer. You may feel more discomfort after this treatment.

About 15% to 30% of men who have radiation therapy have urinary burning, urinary bleeding, frequent urination, rectal bleeding, rectal discomfort or diarrhea during or shortly after the treatment. The cancer could come back many years after radiation treatment.

At 10 years after treatment, cure rates are about the same for radiation therapy and radical prostatectomy. There are no surgical risks for men who have radiation therapy.

Many prostate cancers are small and grow slowly. Because many men with a slow-growing tumor have the same life expectancy as men who don't even have prostate cancer, it may not be necessary to treat very small, very slow-growing prostate tumors. Also, some men feel that the side effects of treatment outweigh the benefits. In watchful waiting, you get no treatment, but you see your doctor often. If there's no sign the cancer is growing, you continue to get no treatment. Hormone therapy can be started if the cancer starts to grow.

What is the purpose of hormone therapy?

Hormone treatments are most often used in patients with cancer that has already spread beyond the prostate gland.

While prostate cancer usually responds to 1 or 2 years of hormone therapy, after some time most tumors start to grow again. No treatment can cure prostate cancer after hormone therapy stops helping.

Where can I get more information about prostate cancer?

Your family doctor, your oncologist (cancer doctor), the radiotherapist and your urologist can give you information. Your local hospital or cancer center may refer you to a local prostate cancer support group, where you can meet other men who have had this cancer.

Awareness Breast Cancer

2009-07-22T01:20:00.001-07:00

DO SOMETHING ABOUT BREAST CANCER

Each year, thousands of Canadians are touched by breast cancer. At the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, we are working to create a future without breast cancer. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, dedicated to educating women about the importance of early detection. CU-Boulder's Wardenburg Health Center is sponsoring a breast cancer information table today, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 4:30-7 p.m. at the Recreation Center. "Our goal is to educate women on campus about risk factors that increase the chance of developing breast cancer," said Heather Collis, student coordinator of the Wellness Program. According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer found in women today. Screening mammography, clinical breast examinations and for women 20 years of age and older, breast self-examinations are vital.

Understanding Breast Cancer Guide
The Understanding Breast Cancer Guide provides an overview of the entire Understanding Breast Cancer section to give you quick access to areas of particular interest.

Anatomy of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a type of cancer where cells in the breast divide and grow without normal control. About 85 percent of breast cancers begin in the mammary ducts, while about 15 percent arise in the lobules [5]. Tumors in the breast tend to grow slowly.

Invasive Breast Cancer
Invasive breast cancer occurs when abnormal cells from inside the lobules or ducts break out into nearby breast tissue. Breast cancer may grow from a tiny tumor to a larger one, later traveling to nearby lymph nodes, then distant ones. Cancer cells can also travel from the breast through the blood and lymphatic system early in the process when the tumor is small.

Carcinoma in Situ

Ductal carcinoma in situ

The term "in situ" means "in place". With DCIS, the abnormal cells are still "in place" inside the ducts. DCIS is a non-invasive breast cancer (you may also hear the term “pre-invasive breast carcinoma”). Although the abnormal cells have not spread to tissues outside the ducts, they can develop into invasive cancer. For more on DCIS and risk of invasive breast cancer, visit the Risk Factors section. For treatment information, visit Ductal Carcinoma in Situ.

Lobular carcinoma in situ
When abnormal cells grow inside the lobules of the breast, but have not spread to nearby tissue or beyond, the condition is called lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). Although LCIS does not often develop into invasive breast cancer, it increases the risk of invasive cancer. For more on LCIS and risk of invasive breast cancer, visit the Risk Factors section. For treatment information, visit Lobular Carcinoma in Situ.

Both men and women can get carcinoma in situ or invasive breast cancer.
For more on male breast health, see Breast Facts for Men.

Avon Breast Cancer Walk

2009-07-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

More Info About Avon Breast Cancer Walk

Boston has been called the biggest small town in America. The Avon Walk Boston will encompass many of this city’s most historical and famous sites May 15-16, 2010. In a town made for walking, it’s a perfect way to experience the old town’s winding and narrow streets, the shores of its famous harbor, and even the vibrant educational Mecca of Cambridge—Boston’s very own “Left Bank.” We’ll walk up to 26.2 miles on Saturday, and 13.1 miles on Sunday—all so that medically-underserved women and men can get the medical care they need and leading research teams can receive vital support in their ongoing search for a cure.

The Avon Foundation places a priority on returning funds to the geographic area in which each Avon Walk takes place with a special emphasis on reaching low-income, elderly and minority individuals and those with inadequate health insurance.

Below are just a few of the most recent grants made in the Boston area—all as a result of funds raised through the Avon Walk.

Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston) - $750,000
Boston Medical Center (Boston) - $549,891
University of Massachusetts Amherst - $453,282
Silent Spring Institute (Newton) - $200,000
Community Services - $100,000
Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Boston) - $100,000

· I was on the Avon crew a few yrs ago. The walk changes every year but that year it started in Kenosha and basically followed rt 43 the first day stopping in high school athletic fields in Niles. The next day it followed bike pathe along the DesPlaines River.

I remember the walk as a pretty disorganized event. The route wasn't completely determined until a few days before the actual walk. Many permits had to be obtained and the local police had to block intersections and streets along the way. Try contacting suburban police depts as they may be willing to give you the route through their towns.

One site I found said that Warren Park was apart of the route last year. Perhaps it will be on the route again. Call for any info they may have:

6601 N. Western Ave.
Phone: 773-262-6314

For 2 days and 39 miles, you have the opportunity to dramatically impact the lives of millions affected by breast cancer worldwide. By participating in the Avon Walk, you’ll allow medically under-insured women and men to receive the screening, support, and treatment they require. And leading-edge research teams will be provided with the funds they need to fuel their quest for a cure. Take the first step. Register today! Our friend, and fellow Avon Walk supporter, Patrick Dempsey joins us in our fight against breast cancer. We hope you'll join us as well. Please enjoy this special message to learn more - including something new for 2009 - the Dempsey Racing Champions' Circle! Get a mammogram. Perform monthly breast self-exams. Have a clinical exam and talk to your doctor. And encourage women around you to do the same. Everyone has a personal reason for taking part in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. It may be a sister, mother, best friend, or possibly even yourself. But for one weekend, whether you walk or volunteer, we’ll all be reaching for the same goal—finding a cure for breast cancer.

Atypical Hyperplasia

2009-07-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

Definition Of Atypical hyperplasia

Atypical hyperplasia is generally regarded as a precancerous condition. It isn't cancer, but it can be a forerunner to the development of cancer. Over the course of your lifetime, if the cells keep dividing and become more abnormal, the condition is reclassified as carcinoma in situ or noninvasive cancer.

If you have atypical hyperplasia, your risk of eventually developing breast cancer is about four to six times greater than is the risk for a woman who doesn't have the condition.

Causes

Atypical hyperplasia is a condition where breast cells are abnormal in number, size, shape, appearance and growth pattern. Location of the abnormal cells within the breast tissue — the lobules or the milk ducts — determines whether the cells are atypical lobular hyperplasia or atypical ductal hyperplasia.

Breast cancer is characterized by the overgrowth of abnormal cells, a multistep process called carcinogenesis. The process begins when normal cell development and growth become disrupted, causing an overproduction of normal-looking cells (hyperplasia). Atypical hyperplasia occurs when the excess cells stack upon one another and begin to take on an abnormal appearance. The abnormal cells can continue to change in appearance and multiply, evolving into noninvasive (in situ) cancer, in which cancer cells remain confined to the area where they start growing. Left untreated, the cancer cells may eventually become invasive cancer, invading surrounding tissue, blood vessels or lymph channels.

Researchers aren't sure exactly what causes the progression from normal cells to hyperplasia to atypical hyperplasia to in situ and invasive cancer.

Overview

How to provides comprehensive breast cancer screening, evaluation, education and treatment. Mayo Clinic physicians diagnose and treat more than 1,300 new patients with breast cancer each year. Mayo Clinic is among the most active breast cancer research facilities in the world. A team of medical professionals from several specialties provide innovative treatment strategies and supportive care to make patients' medical care as effective and comfortable as possible. Mayo physicians work with patients to develop personalized treatment plans for their unique needs. For example, genetic counseling is available for patients with a family history of breast cancer.

Diagnosis

Mayo offers state-of-the-art screening and diagnostic services, including mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, MRI-guided breast biopsies and surgical biopsies. The Mayo Clinic staff understands the anxiety associated with a breast condition and works to give patients the most prompt diagnosis possible. Mayo Clinic offers routine 24- to 48-hour turnaround for biopsy scheduling and availability of results. Read more about breast cancer diagnosis.

Treatment Options

At Mayo Clinic the patient and health care team members will discuss the most appropriate approach for care. The treatment plan may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy, or some combination of these. If surgery is an option, a surgeon will be consulted. If radiation therapy is to be considered, a radiation oncologist will be consulted. A medical oncologist discusses with patients the potential use of hormone therapy and chemotherapy. Read more about
breast cancer treatment options.

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