If you learn to recognize what the breast cancer symptoms are, you empower yourself to find out what’s going on with your body. You might find out it’s not cancer. You’ve lessened the burden of worry because you recognized a possible symptom, and bravely forged ahead to get diagnosed.

If you do you have cancer, you have a much better chance reaching the goal of recovery and long-term survival than if you’d put it off.

If you can learn to identify symptoms you can often help friends and family by giving the extremely valuable gift of early detection and diagnosis.

The Breast Lump

If you perform self-breast exam, eventually you’ll find a lump. Is it a lump, or just normal “lumpiness,” many little benign lumps in both breasts? Breast lumps that suddenly occur need to be checked. Usually the smaller the lump, the better. The size of the lump may determine prognosis.

If a lump is found to be cancerous, what are the most common diagnoses? It could be a precancerous lump, such as ductal carcinoma in situ and less commonly, lobular carcinoma in situ.

The common types are invasive ductal carcinoma (about 80% of invasive cases), and invasive lobular carcinoma.

A Few Other Breast Cancer Symptoms

Dimpling of breast skin (”orange peel” appearance) is a symptom. Dimpling is caused by edema that surrounds a cancerous lump, which pulls on the skin.

Swollen or painful lymph nodes in the armpits or just above the collar bone signal possible cancer. Retracted, enlarged, scaly or itchy nipple, or even spontaneous change in sensation of the nipple may also be a sign.

Nipple discharge, especially on one side and bloody, yellowish or green, is a symptom in 4% of the patients with this symptom. Most women do have some kind of normal nipple discharge if the breasts are squeezed.

Constant pain on one side is sometimes a sign of breast cancer. Cyclical pain on both sides, caused by hormonal flux, is not a sign.

Asymmetry can be a symptom of cancer.

Breast skin redness, warmth and/or swelling can mimic non-cancerous infections or may be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer. If the infection doesn’t get better after a round of antibiotics, see your doctor.

In men, any breast lump, pain, or other change should be checked by a doctor.

Bone pain, significant weight loss, swelling of one arm, or ulceration of skin may be symptoms of advanced cancer, or may signify another condition. Diagnosis is essential.

Who Do I Ask?

Ask your family doctor. Your doctor may send you to a surgeon for biopsy, or if no lump is present, an oncologist.

What if you don’t have any symptoms? You must use the most current screening recommendations for your age.

With breast cancer, knowledge is power. The earlier you recognize a symptom and get diagnosed, the better.

For more information on breast cancer try visiting breastcanceranalysis.com breastcanceranalysis.com - a website that specializes in providing breast cancer related information and resources including information on breastcanceranalysis.com/breastcancersymptom.html breast cancer symptoms.

Related posts

• Your Breast Cancer Treatment Team (0)
• You Too Can Prevent Cancer, Including Breast Cancer (0)
• Yoga for Prevention of Breast Cancer (0)
• X-Rays and Breast Cancer Risks Considered (0)
• Women’s Struggle With Breast Cancer (0)

Tags: breast cancer

In this part of the world I am living in, colorectal cancer patients are often told that they must undergo chemotherapy (sometimes even radiotherapy) after their surgery, otherwise they would die. That is the perception being “cultivated” here. However, after reading medical literature on this issue, it came as a shock to know that one does not necessarily have to die if one does not undergo chemotherapy. The perception I had then was without chemotherapy, colon cancer patients would die — if not all of them, at least a great majority of them. But research data does not support that perception. Let me highlight two research papers for your reading.

Dr. Charles Moertel and colleagues of the famed Mayo Clinic, advocated the use of 5-FU levamisole for colorectal patients. They showed that this concoction is more effective than using 5-FU alone. Based on the data of 929 patients with Stage 3 colon cancer, they presented their report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 1 March 1995, Volume 122: 321-326 ( Fluorouracil plus Levamisole as Effective Adjuvant Therapy after Resection of Stage III Colon Carcinoma: A Final Report) as follows:

1. Out of the 315 patients who did not receive chemotherapy 177 of them, i.e. 56 %, suffered recurrence.

2. Out of the 304 patients who received chemotherapy, only 119 or 39 %, suffered recurrence.

3. Out of the 315 patients who did not receive chemotherapy 168 of them, i.e. 53.3 %, died.

4. Out of the 304 patients who received chemotherapy 121 or 39.8 %, died.

5. The side effects of fluorouracil plus levamisole were: nausea, infrequent vomiting, stomatitis, diarrhea, dermatitis, fatigue, occasional mild alopecia and neurotoxicity.

6. Approximately half of the patients had hematologic depression that was usually limited to mild leukopenia.

7. Forty percent of patients had abnormal liver function test results during the course of the therapy. Their toxicity were reflected in elevated alkaline phosphatase levels (which peaked approximately 7 months after onset of therapy), elevated aminotransferase (AST) levels, and elevated serum bilirubin besides causing fatty liver.

From the above data it is clear that chemotherapy reduced recurrence by 17 % and reduced death by 13.5 % but not without side effects which are often brushed off as insignificant.

Similarly Wolmark et al. (Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy or BCG for colon cancer: results from NSABP protocol C-01. J. National Cancer Inst. 1988. Vol: 80:30-36), showed that a mixture of 5-FU semustine vincristine also did a good job. Let us look at the data presented below:

A total of 1,166 patients who had undergone surgery for Duke’s B and C colon cancer were divided into 3 groups and given the specified treatments. The results of the study were as follows:

1. 59% of those who underwent surgery only (as control group) survived after 5 years.

2. 67% of those who received 5-FU semutine vincristine survived after 5 years.

The results demonstrate that the use of 5-FU semustine vincristine after surgery for Duke’s B and C colon cancer provided higher rates of 5-year survival. Leukemia has been observed in 3 of 479 patients who had received semustine.

Take note that the REAL benefit of chemotherapy in this study can be seen in 8 % of patients only. Also after 5 years, 59% of patients were still alive even without chemotherapy. The question we may want to ask is: “what if they had undergone chemotherapy?” I expect almost all or a great majority of them to be alive at the end of five years. No, the data shows only 67% of them survived. This is another shocking truth — even if one were to undergo chemotherapy, research shows that 33% of patients still die from colon cancer.

One doctor told his patient that taking herbs and getting well is a matter of luck. Now, what about chemotherapy? Chemo-patients probably need just as much luck?

The difference of five-year survival between chemotherapy and no chemotherapy group is only 8% or 13.5 % (based on work in Mayo Clinic). Chemotherapy is proven to be beneficial by only a slim margin. Indeed, from the academic point of view, the result is statistically significant. This would please the statisticians and the scientists, but I am not sure if it pleases cancer patients at all. I believe this is not what patients (especially those in the poor developing country) are looking for. They are seeking for a REAL cure (not a MEDISAL CURE either!). If this is not possible, at least they expect a much greater chance of achieving it. I wonder if 8 % or 13.5 % benefit is good enough?

Chemotherapy causes severe side effects in most patients. It is not like an “ant-bite” as one oncologist would tell some patients. With only 8 % or 13.5 % difference, is it worth the gamble?

One question comes to mind: Can this slim margin of 8 % or 13.5 % not be achieved by some other non-invasive or non-toxic means? For example, does it ever occur to people that by just a change of diet or taking of herbs, perhaps we can also increase our chances of healing colorectal cancer and the result could be better than chemotherapy? In my future articles I shall present various case studies to show that indeed this hypothesis is valid and has merit — herbs and change of diet and lifestyle can prolong meaningful survival better than chemotherapy!

For more information about complementary therapy for cancer visit: cacare.com cacare.com, NaturalHealingForYou.com NaturalHealingForYou.com, Cancer-Answers.blogspot.com Cancer-Answers.blogspot.com.

Related posts

• Colorectal Cancer Part 6: Chemotherapy for the Elderly — Is It Worth It? (0)
• Colorectal Cancer Part 5: Review of Medical Literature: Not All Patients Benefit From Chemotherapy (0)
• Colorectal Cancer Part 2: Medical or Herbal Treatment? (0)
• Chemotherapy - Its Other Battle Is With Your Skin, Hair And Nails! (0)
• Suspected Colorectal Cancer - No Medical Intervention Please! (0)

Tags: cancer patient, chemotherapy, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, healing, leukemia

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma is a lethal cancer that starts in the lining of the lungs. The main cause is believed to be unprotected contact with asbestos. Every year about 3000 new cases of this disease are reported in the United States. It is estimated that over the past fifty years nearly eight million people have been exposed to asbestos and that 300,000 new cases would be reported by the year 2030. The peak may be around 2020 and thereafter the incidence is likely to taper down because of the preventive measures that are being taken.

Like in all cases of cancer, early detection and appropriate treatment improve the survival rate. On both counts the pleural mesothelioma patients are at a disadvantage. Symptoms take anywhere between 20 to 50 years to manifest. Because of this, the patients are generally in the fifty plus age group. And the outwardly noticed indications of the sickness are similar to that of several lesser ailments. This makes the diagnosis difficult. Because of all these, by the time the problem is detected, the cancer is likely to have spread. As yet there is no fully effective line of treatment. It is generally accepted that a combination therapy is better than monotherapy. A great deal of research is being done in this area.

A number of studies have been made about the survival rate among pleural mesothelioma patients. They all come to the same conclusion – the disease is almost always fatal. The lifespan of a person diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma is about six months to two years. There have been exceptions and their stories are inspiring. The life expectancy varies according to the stage (pleural mesothelioma has four different phases) and the type. One research based on the histologic (tissue structure)tests shows a median survival of 11 months – 9.4 months for sarcomatous, 12.5 months for epithelial and 11 months for mixed.

Several inspirational books are available for the patient to read and fortify himself. Also helpful are chat rooms with others in the same condition.

e-pleuralmesothelioma.com Pleural Mesothelioma provides detailed information on Malignant Diffuse Pleural Mesothelioma, Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma, Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Survival Rate, Mesothelioma Pleural Brachytherapy and more. Pleural Mesothelioma is affiliated with e-peritonealmesothelioma.com Peritoneal Mesothelioma Lawyers.

Related posts

• What is Mesothelioma? (0)
• What is Mesothelioma? (0)
• What is Mesothelioma? (0)
• What is Asbestos and How Does it Cause Disease? (0)
• Types of Mesothelioma Cancer (0)

Tags: mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma

The news is full of frightening statistics about cancer and other diseases. From what we read and hear on television, we are led to believe that more and more people are being diagnosed with cancer and that more and more people are dying from it.

In some cases, this is true. Incidences of and deaths from cancer have risen every year for the last fifty. However, don’t let this lead you to believe that no progress is being made.

Let’s take a look at gastric cancer, for example. Gastric cancers were once the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and in many other countries, too. However, since 1930, the incidence of and number of deaths related to gastric cancer have steadily decreased.

By 1994, gastric cancer was the eighth leading cause of cancer death in the US and the statistics appear to continue to be on the decline. So, why are we seeing less gastric cancer today than before? Well, the medical community doesn’t appear to have made any definite conclusions, but there are some factors that are believed to be contributing to this promising trend.

The number one reason doctors believe that gastric cancer is on the decline is the higher consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in our diet and the lower consumption of foods that are preserved by salt. Years ago, refrigeration in the home was not common, so keeping fruits and vegetables at the ready was not easy. And, it was common to preserve meats and some other foods with salt rather than freezing them.

When the ability to refrigerate and freeze foods in the home became commonplace, the American diet changed. We began to eat more fruits and vegetables and freeze our meat instead of curing it. So, how does this help reduce our risk of cancer?

Well, it’s actually quite simple. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables means a diet rich in anti-oxidants. Each day, as we convert the foods we eat into energy, we create free radicals in our body. These free radicals can damage our cells and our DNA. Unchecked free radicals are believed to contribute to the development of cancer and other diseases.

Anti-oxidants are excellent at combating free radicals. A diet rich in anti-oxidants is linked with preventing cancer, heart disease, cholesterol problems and a lower incidence of stroke.

So, if you’re interested in reducing your risk of cancer, be sure your diet is rich in anti-oxidants on a daily basis. Some of foods highest in anti-oxidants are:

Small Red Bean (dried)
Wild blueberry
Red kidney bean (dried)
Pinto bean
Blueberry (cultivated)
Cranberry
Blackberry
Prune
Raspberry
Strawberry

Apple
Pomegranate
Pecan
Sweet cherry
Black plum
Russet potato (cooked)
Black bean (dried)
Plum

So, if you want to improve your health, and reduce your risk of cancer, these fruits should be staples in your diet. And, there’s another way you can get your daily dose of anti-oxidants; one you might not have thought of.

Green Tea is High in Anti-Oxidants

Green tea has been widely used in Asian cultures for centuries to prevent illness and to treat it, as well. And, many recent studies have linked green tea with the prevention of cancer, and, in some cases have even found green tea to be helpful in the treatment of cancer.

Tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. There are many different types of tea; most of the differences come from the way the tea is processed. Tea leaves contain very powerful anti-oxidants in their natural state.

Fermenting tea leaves, which is part of processing tea leaves for black tea, converts these catechins to other compounds and reduces their health benefits. Therefore, green tea, because it is not fermented, retains more of its original anti-oxidants than black tea.

In every part of the world except Asia, black tea varieties are far more widely consumed than green tea. And, black tea is healthy. However, because green tea undergoes less processing, it far outranks black tea in its ability to provide anti-oxidants, and thereby, prevent disease.

Asian cultures have a far lower incidence of heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol and cancer. And, while there are likely other cultural and environmental factors that contribute to their lower incidence of disease; their high consumption of green tea is considered a significant factor. In fact, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent.

So, if you’d like to reduce your risk of developing cancer and other diseases that often plague us as we get older, eat and drink up. Get your daily fill of fruits and vegetables. And, wash it down with green tea! You’ll be doing your part to ensure you live a long and healthy life!

Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their current

Related posts

• Type of Cancer (0)
• The United States Program on Cancer, 1975-2003: A Dismal Failure (0)
• The Law Of Attraction And Cancer (0)
• Nutritional Cancer Support (0)
• Mesothelioma - Gain The Cancer Facts To Become Aware Of (0)

Tags: treatment of cancer