Cancers can develop in any part of the bile duct and, based on their location, are divided into 3 groups. About half of the cancers develop in the smaller bile duct branches inside the liver and are called intrahepatic (inside the liver) bile duct cancers. These can be confused with cancers that start in the liver cells and are called hepatic carcinomas. It is possible to tell these 2 types of tumors apart by looking at them under a microscope.
Bile and bilirubin also cause itching. Jaundice is almost always due to hepatitis or to blockage of the bile duct. It is important to realize that most causes of bile duct blockage are not caused by cancer. Most often a stone in the bile duct that escaped from the gallbladder (gallstone) causes the jaundice. Whenever jaundice occurs, a doctor should be seen immediately
Causes
The cause is unknown although people with chronic inflammatory processes such as ulcerative colitis or parasitic infections of the bile ducts, or with congenital abnormalities of the bile ducts are at higher risk for developing this cancer. No one cause has been clearly demonstrated.
Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. Its main function is to store bile, a bitter, yellow-green fluid that's produced in the liver cells. Bile is essential for the proper digestion of fats and is one of the main ways your body eliminates drugs, cholesterol and waste products of metabolism.
Symptoms
If cancer develops in the bile ducts it may block the flow of bile from the liver to the intestine. This causes the bile to flow back into the blood and body tissues, and leads to the skin and whites of the eyes becoming yellow (known as jaundice).
As the cancer grows and spreads, pain often develops in the upper abdomen and sometimes spreads to the back. The pain may become worse after the person eats or lies down. Cancer of the pancreas can also cause nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, and weakness.
Tumors can prevent the normal passage of food or interfere with its absorption by blocking the flow of pancreatic enzymes.
Bloating, weight loss, decreased appetite, fever, nausea or an enlarging abdominal mass are all signs that may be attributable to bile duct cancer. Pain usually signifies advanced disease.
Signs and symptoms of bile duct cancer include weight loss, loss of appetite, and fever. Early bile duct cancers usually do not cause pain. Usually the main symptoms from intrahepatic bile duct cancer are weight loss and fatigue. Jaundice occurs later. As the cancer spreads, pain may develop in the stomach area.
Treatment
Treatments for bile duct cancer vary with the size of the tumor and how far it has advanced. Among treatments are surgery, liver transplantation, chemotherap, radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy and biliary drainage. Where the cancer cannot be completely removed but has not spread outside the liver, liver transplantation may be an option. Mayo Clinic is one of the few institutions in the world offering transplantation for bile duct cancer. Read more about treatment for bile duct cancer.
Complete removal of the tumor is the only effective and potentially curative treatment for cancers of the lower bile duct. The treatment usually requires a Whipple operation. Distal bile duct cancer is more amenable to complete removal compared to pancreatic cancer. Five-year survival rates of up to 40% are found after complete removal of distal bile duct cancer.
Bile Duct Cancer ? Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
How Cigarretes Cause Cancer
How do cigarettes cause lung cancer? In addition to containing many toxic gases, the tar found in your favorite brand has a lot of cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) as well as cocarcinogens which increase the production of cancer cells.
This leads to the development of small cell (oat) carcinoma, the deadliest form of lung cancer, and squamous cell cancer – both of which are usually found in smokers.
"Your risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day, the number of years you smoke, the amount of smoke you inhale, and the amount of tar and nicotine in the cigarettes you smoke," said Dr. David E. Larson, editor-in-chief of the “Mayo Clinic Family Health Book.”
While lung cancer is primarily a male problem, many women now have the disease, probably because the number of female smokers has increased. In the United States, lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer in terms of cancer deaths in women.
"The higher rates of tobacco-related cancers among men reflect the fact that in the past, more men than women smoked, and smoked heavily. In recent years, the proportion of smokers among males has been steadily decreasing in many developed countries. Unfortunately, the proportion of smokers among women has been steadily increasing all over the world,” according to Drs. Adriano V. Laudico, Divina B. Esteban, Corazon A. Ngelangel, and Lilia M. Reyes in “Cancer Facts and Estimates.”
"With many more women smoking than ever before, the number of women with lung cancer has increased at an alarming rate, so that smoking is now responsible for 75 percent of all lung cancers in women. The cancer rate for female smokers is 67 percent higher than for nonsmokers," said Marrion Morra, assistant director of the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut, and Eve Potts in “Choices: Realistic Alternatives in Cancer Treatment.”
Even nonsmokers aren’t spared from the onslaught of lung cancer. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that between 500 and 5,000 cases of lung cancer appear each year in nonsmokers as a result of inhaling someone else's smoke. The side stream smoke inhaled by a nonsmoker has a higher percentage of tar, nicotine, and other poisonous gases - all of which contribute to lung cancer.
"The tobacco industry likes to tell people that there are other causes of lung cancer. But there is no denying the fact that smoking is a major cause of the disease. I don't think we have to look for other causes," said Dr. Calixto Zaldivar, former director of the Lung Center of the Philippines.
Other risk factors for lung cancer include exposure to industrial carcinogens such as asbestos, chromium compounds, radioactive ores, nickel, arsenic, and other irritating substances.
"A worker in these kinds of industries who smokes faces an even greater risk. If you are over 40, smoke two packs a day, and/or are in an occupation that is thought to be cancer producing, you should have frequent medical checkups," Morra and Potts said. (Tomorrow: How to prevent lung cancer.)
To strengthen your body, take Immunitril – your first line of defense in maintaining a healthy immune system. For details, visit http://www.bodestore.com/immunitril.html.
Men Get Breast Cancer
Next to lung cancer, breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any other cancer. It's the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 44 and one is 13 women will have it sooner or later.
"Breast cancer is the third most common cancer in the world today, despite the fact that it is confined almost entirely to the female sex. Breast cancer incidence rates are rising in several developing countries, and it is already the most frequent female cancer in many," revealed Dr. Corazon A. Ngelangel, professor, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, College of Medicine, and a consultant at the Medical Oncology Section of the University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital.
The exact cause of breast cancer is unknown. But the risk of developing the disease increases after the age of 35, especially in those with a family history of the disease. Breast cancer is also more common in obese women and in those who have never had children or who had a child for the first time after the age of 30.
Those who begin menstruation early and women who had late menopause are also at risk for developing the disease. The same is true for women who previously had breast cancer. The odds are high that these women will have the disease in the other breast too.
Unknown to many, breast cancer can affect men but not as frequently as women. Less than one percent of cases occur in males, usually at middle age or older.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor in male breast cancer. Other high-risk groups include those who are exposed to dust, gasoline, grease, carbon monoxide, and radiation. Men with gynecomastia, the enlargement of the breast that follows exposure to estrogen and alcoholic cirrhosis (in which the liver has been destroyed by years of heavy drinking) are likewise susceptible to the disease.
"Although breast cancer can occur in young boys (the youngest reported was five years old), the incidence generally rises with age. The majority of patients are more than 60 years old. Earlier cancer denotes a strong family history, manifested by the presence of many female relatives with breast cancer," said Dr. David Y. Dy, a general surgeon and surgical oncologist at St. Luke's Medical Center in the Philippines.
Surprisingly, male breast cancer appears to be less common in married men and in those with many children. Like women, most cases have been observed in the left breast although it is not clear why.
"About half of all breast cancers develop in the upper outer portion of the breast, the part of the breast closest to the underarm. The second most common site is the area surrounding the nipple, where about 18 percent of breast cancers are found," said Marrion Morra, assistant director of the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center at Yale University School of Medicine in Connecticut, and Eve Potts in “Choices: Realistic Alternatives in Cancer Treatment.”
Still, majority of breast cancer cases occur in women. Ngelangel believes the presence of the female hormone estrogen may have something to do with the disease.
"The most important risk factor for developing breast cancer is sex. Being female puts you at great risk. The reason for this is estrogen. Women have more of this hormone than men which probably explains why breast cancer is common among females," Ngelangel said. (Next: Breast cancer myths.)
To strengthen your body, take Immunitril – your first line of defense in maintaining a healthy immune system. For details, visit http://www.bodestore.com/immunitril.html.
Lung Cancer - Causes and Treatment
More than one in four of all diagnosed cancers involve the lung, and lung cancer remains the most common cancer-related cause of death among American men and women. In 1998, more than 160,000 lung cancer deaths were expected, outnumbering deaths from breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. Today, the rate of lung cancer is dropping among white men in the United States, but it continues to increase in African-American men and in both white and African-American women.
At the same time, it may well be that a great many lung cancers are preventable. Inhaling cancer-causing substances such as tobacco smoke may lead to changes in the lung tissue shortly after exposure — so-called precancerous changes. Nevertheless, cancer itself typically develops over a period of many years, and if detected at an early enough stage can be eliminated by a variety of treatments.
History: Lung cancers manifest with symptoms produced by the primary tumor, locoregional spread, metastatic disease, or ectopic hormone production. See Image 1 for a summary of all signs and symptoms. Approximately 7-10% of patients with lung cancer are asymptomatic and their cancers are diagnosed incidentally after a chest radiograph (CXR) performed for other reasons. The symptoms produced by the primary tumor depend on its location (ie, central, peripheral).
Understanding Lung Cancer
This information has been prepared to help you understand more about lung cancer. Many people feel understandably shocked and upset when told they have lung cancer. We hope this information will help you understand the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. We also include information about support services.
We cannot advise you about the best treatment for you. You need to discuss this with your doctors. However, we hope this information will answer some of your questions and help you think about the questions you want to ask your doctors.
There are two main types of lung cancer:
· Non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. It grows more slowly than small cell lung cancer.
· Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) grows quickly and often spreads to distant parts of the body.
Treatment
As is true of many cancers, the treatment of lung cancer depends upon a variety of factors. The most important factors are the histopathologic (diseased tissue) type of tumor that is present and its stage.
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Once a lung cancer has been staged, the physician and patient can discuss treatment options. An individual then has a better idea of the value of different forms of therapy. Other factors that are taken into account include the person's general health, medical problems that may affect treatment (such as chemotherapy), and tumor characteristics.
Lung Cancer Prevention & Screening
Smoking & Tobacco Information
· Tobacco & Cancer Website
· M. D. Anderson’s Tobacco Treatment Program
The best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit smoking, or to never start in the first place. You should try and avoid being around people who are smoking; and also avoid pipes, cigars, and marijuana. If you live in an area with radon, you should make sure there is adequate ventilation in your basement to get rid of it. Use a detector to make sure the radon levels are low. If you work in an industry where you are exposed to substances known to cause lung cancer, make sure to use all the proper protective equipment and attire made available by your employer.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) growth that begins in the tissues of the breast. Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells grow in an uncontrolled way. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but it can also appear in men. In the U.S., it affects one in eight women.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women worldwide. For whatever reason, the number of cases has increased in the last 30 years. Ductal carcinoma starts at the cells lining the milk ducts and makes up more than 75% of breast cancer. Lobular carcinoma begins in the milk secreting glands. Many women want to know what the risk factors and symptoms of breast cancer are so they can catch it in the early stages.
Symptoms breast cancer
Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. In fact, when breast cancer first develops, there may be no symptoms at all. But as the cancer grows, it can cause changes that women should watch for:
A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area.
A change in the size or shape of the breast.
A discharge from the nipple.
Breast cancers in their early stages are usually painless. Often the first symptom is the discovery of a hard lump. Fifty percent of such masses are found in the upper outer quarter of the breast. The lump may make the affected breast appear elevated or asymmetric. The nipple may be retracted or scaly. Sometimes the skin of the breast is dimpled like the skin of an orange. In some cases there is a bloody or clear discharge from the nipple. Many cancers, however, produce no symptoms and cannot be felt on examination. They can be detected only with a mammogram.
Possible symptoms of breast cancer include:
Discharge from the nipple. This can be dark and bloody or clear in nature.
Itching, burning or scaling nipples.
Persistent pain or tenderness in the breast or underarm area.
dimpling or puckering of the skin – thickening and dimpling skin is sometimes called orange peel
redness, swelling and increased warmth in the affected breast
changes to the nipple - such as a change in shape, crusting, a sore or an ulcer, redness or a nipple that turns in (inverted) when it used to stick out
changes to the skin of the breast - such as dimpling of the skin, unusual redness or other colour changes
Breast Cancer Risk Factors
The likelihood of developing breast cancer greatly increases with age. Most women develop breast cancer after the age of 50. By the time you are 85, you have a one in eight chance of developing the disease. However, women younger than 50 are not immune to developing this type of cancer, as evidenced from such high profile stars developing breast cancer such as Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, and Kylie Minogue. Other known risk factors include:
Smoking with a family history of cancer
Chemical exposure
Alcohol abuse
Breast changes discovered after breast biopsy
Cervical Cancer- Causes and Treatment
Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death, but death rates have dropped dramatically over the last 40 years. This is due to the widespread use of the Pap test, an examination performed in your doctor's office to detect abnormal cells before cancer develops. Nevertheless, about 1300 Canadian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and approximately 390 die from the disease.
What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer develops when cells in the cervix begin to grow out of control and can then invade nearby tissues or spread throughout the body. Large collections of cells that grow abnormally are called tumors. Some tumors are not cancer, because they cannot spread or threaten someone's life. These are called benign tumors. The tumors that can spread throughout the body or invade nearby tissues are considered cancer and are called malignant tumors. Usually, cervix cancer is very slow growing, although in certain circumstances it can grow and spread quickly.
Cervical Cancer Causes
Cervical cancer begins with abnormal changes in the cervical tissue. The risk of developing these abnormal changes has been associated with certain factors, including previous infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), early sexual contact, multiple sexual partners, cigarette smoking, and taking oral contraceptives (birth control pills).
The development of cervical cancer is very slow. It starts as a pre-cancerous condition called dysplasia.
This pre-cancerous condition can be detected by a Pap smear and is 100% treatable. That is why it is so important for women to get regular Pap smears. Most women that are diagnosed with cervical cancer today have not had regular Pap smears or they have not followed up on abnormal results.
Signs and Symptoms
Early changes in the cells of the cervix (epithelial abnormalities) rarely cause symptoms.If early cell changes develop into cervical cancer, the most common signs include:
· vaginal bleeding between periods
· menstrual bleeding that is longer or heavier than usual
· bleeding after intercourse
· pain during intercourse
· unusual vaginal discharge
· vaginal bleeding after menopause
· excessive tiredness
· leg pain or swelling
· low back pain.
Diagnosis
Unlike some cancers, cervical cancer is slow growing and can take a long time to develop; the average is around ten years.
Early changes, which may or may not develop into cancer, appear as abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix and can be picked up by a Pap smear. If these pre-cancerous abnormalities are considered to be severe enough, they can be treated before they develop into cancer.
There are two types of cervical cancer proper, named after the type of cell they initially form in: squamous cell carcinoma, which is the most common type and forms in the cells on the surface of the cervix, and adenocarcinoma, which is less common and forms in the mucus-producing gland cells in the cervical canal.
Treatment
Treatment of cervical cancer depends on the stage of the cancer, the size and shape of the tumor, the age and general health of the woman, and her desire to have children in the future.
Early cervical cancer can be cured by removing or destroying the pre-cancerous or cancerous tissue. There are various surgical ways to do this without removing the uterus or damaging the cervix, so that a woman can still have children in the future.
Information on Types and Treatment of Lung Cancer
Cancer is a disease in which certain body cells don't function right, divide very fast, and produce too much tissue that forms a tumor. The lungs, a pair of sponge-like, cone-shaped organs, are part of the body's respiratory system. When we breathe in, the lungs take in oxygen, which our cells need to live and carry out their normal functions. When we breathe out, the lungs get rid of carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of the body's cells.
Lung cancers manifest with symptoms produced by the primary tumor, locoregional spread, metastatic disease, or ectopic hormone production. See Image 1 for a summary of all signs and symptoms. Approximately 7-10% of patients with lung cancer are asymptomatic and their cancers are diagnosed incidentally after a chest radiograph (CXR) performed for other reasons. The symptoms produced by the primary tumor depend on its location (ie, central, peripheral).
There are two main types of lung cancer, small cell and non small cell. Small cell is faster growing but chemo is quite successful with it... I know several people that are presently N.E.D. (no evidence of disease) that have small cell lung cancer. Its very rare to have surgery with small cell as its usually metastized by the time of diagnosis.
Every smoker is at risk for lung cancer. It is estimated that 87% of all cases of lung cancer are caused by cigarette smoking. The major risk factor for lung cancer is cigarette smoking. Your risk of getting lung cancer from cigarette smoking increases the longer you smoke, the more you smoke, and the deeper you inhale. Smoking low tar cigarettes does not prevent you from getting lung cancer. Importantly, if you quit smoking, your risk of getting lung cancer declines.
Tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking, is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. The number of deaths per year from smoking exceeds the number of deaths per year from all accidents, suicides, drug use, homicides and AIDS combined. An estimated 45 million U.S. adults are smokers, and more than a third of all U.S. high school students smoke cigarettes.
Normal cells become cancer cells because the genes inside them are damaged. In most cases of lung cancer, smoking causes this gene damage. Cancer Research UK is investigating this gene damage. We are researching why some smokers get cancer and some don't. If we know more about the genes that are damaged, it may help prevent the disease in the future.
Women with lung cancer now have more treatment choices and hope than ever before. Doctors keep finding ways to improve treatments for lung cancer and ways to help women with lung cancer have better lives. We are continually learning more about lung cancer, its prevention, detection, and treatment. This section of CancerSource will discuss all of these areas. The Lung Cancer section below discusses what we know about lung cancer in general, as well as its prevention and detection.
As is true of many cancers, the treatment of lung cancer depends upon a variety of factors. The most important factors are the histopathologic (diseased tissue) type of tumor that is present and its stage.