Worldwide, there are 350,000 to 400,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed each year. Even with today’s medical and dental advances, this number hasn’t improved significantly in years. Oral cancer is particularly dangerous for two reasons: 1) it is routinely discovered late in its development and 2) oral cancer patients have a 20 times higher risk of developing a second cancer even five to ten years after the first diagnosis.

Doctors can’t explain why one person gets oral cancer and another doesn’t, even when they have the same risk factors. The known risk factors include:

Smoking and Tobacco Use - At least 75% of those diagnosed with oral cancer are tobacco users, including the so-called ’smokeless’ tobacco. Alcohol - Heavy use of alcoholic beverages increases the risk of oral cancer. Smoking and Alcohol Use Combined - Those who smoke and drink heavily are 15 times more likely to develop oral cancer. Sunlight - Prolonged exposure to sunlight is a causative factor in lip and skin cancers. Diet - Studies have shown that a diet low in fruits and vegetables may put you more at risk for oral cancer, and other studies indicate that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may protect against many types of cancer.

The symptoms of oral cancer can be painless or mimic the appearance of other, non-dangerous oral symptoms. For instance, a cancer lesion can look much like a common canker sore. Because the dangerous tissue changes of oral cancer can look and feel like the benign tissue changes that occur normally, it’s important to have regular dental check-ups. Your dentist can see or feel many changes in your mouth that may not even be noticeable to you. Some symptoms that should trigger an alarm and a dental visit include:

A color change in the mouth, including white, red, smooth, or discolored patches Ulcer or sore on lips or gums that doesn’t heal Rough, crusty or eroded spot that doesn’t heal A lump, mass, thickening inside the mouth or neck Bleeding in the mouth (Healthy gums don’t bleed! This can also be a sign of gum disease.) Loose teeth Pain or difficulty in swallowing, speaking or chewing Pain or difficulty moving the jaws Wart like masses Hoarseness that doesn’t go away Numbness in the oral/facial region Change in the way teeth fit together Difficulty wearing dentures Earache Any oral change or soreness that doesn’t go away or heal within two weeks

While an infection, gum disease, and many other problems and conditions can cause these same reactions, it’s still very important that you see your dentist right away if you experience any of them. If your dentist or doctor decides that an area is suspicious, s/he can perform a biopsy of the area. A biopsy isn’t painful or time-consuming and is inexpensive. In the case of oral cancer, a quick, early diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death.

© 2007 by Avis Ward of aviswardconsulting.com/” target=”_blank AWard Consulting, LLC

Avis E. Ward is an Inspirational Speaker, Certified Seminar Leader and Action Coach. Avis is also a Dental Marketing Consultant specializing in Orthodontics. Avis invites you to view her blog. aviswardconsulting.com/ aviswardconsulting.com/ or geovishome.org/ Avis Ward

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Several studies suggest that drinking alcoholic beverages, even in moderate amounts, may increase breast cancer risk. Regardless of the type of drink - beer, wine and hard liquor, all of these drinks contribute to breast cancer risk and as consumption rises, so does the risk. Women under 55 years of age with no other risk factors who have more than 9 drinks a week have a more dramatic increase than those over 55: they have a 2.5 increase - two and a half times the susceptibility to breast cancer of non-drinkers with no risk factors. Studies in France and Italy, where wine is consumed on a regular basis by almost everyone, have supported this connection. Women in these countries do have a higher incidence of breast cancer than do women in the U.S., though it is a fairly slight increase - only 1.2 to 1.9 times.

As with fat consumption, the main effect of alcohol in increasing breast cancer risk may be during the vulnerable stage of youth. More accurate information as to when and how the effect manifests itself is needed before any concrete recommendations can be made. Whether to stop drinking or not is unfortunately one of the many decisions we all must make based on inadequate information. The risk increase isn’t that high, but it definitely exists. Although it may be wise for a number of reasons to discourage children from drinking, it is an area, like many in parenting, where you may not have a lot of control.

Another known risk factor for breast cancer is radiation. At least three major studies have confirmed that there is indeed a link between radiation and increased risk of breast cancer. The first study came out of one of the major tragedies of the 20th century - the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. The residents in the immediate area of the bombings died instantly. But it has become evident that those within a 10-kilometer radius of the bomb site developed far more cancer than others in comparable populations and researches began studying these survivors to learn more about the dangers of radiation. Another study composed of Canadian patients looked at women who had been treated for lung tuberculosis with fluoroscopy. This is a common method for treating the disease during the 1930s and 1940s. When the women were studied in the 1970s, they were found to have an increased incidence of breast cancer. A study in New York examined a group of 606 women who had suffered postpartum mastitis (inflammation of the mammary glands within the breast) - and had been having radiation therapy averaging 50 and 450 radiation doses to alleviate their pain. They too had a rate pf breast cancer higher than that of the general population and the risk is radiation dose-related.

Radiation to treat cancer places us at the other end of the spectrum: very high levels of radiation are used, on the order of 8,000 rads. In these cases, however, the risk of radiation is far outweighed by the risk of cancer. For example, radiation is used to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer affecting the lymph nodes. By itself and in conjunction with chemotherapy it has been responsible for many cures. However, some women who had this treatment many years ago are now showing up with breast cancer. It seems that radiation to the chests, which saved their lives, is now responsible for their second cancers.

It won’t be surprising if some if the children treated today for cancer with radiation in the chest region will also eventually have an increase in breast cancers. It is unfortunate, but since radiation is probably responsible for their being around long enough to get a second cancer, a few of these patients are likely to have regrets.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to breast-cancer.treatment-and-guides.com/ Breast Cancer.

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After researchers discovered another colon cancer gene, the second so far, they concluded that they have found the causes of over 90 percent of the disease in its inherited form.

Every year 156,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer and six of those cases are caused by those two genes together. In the same time, around 30 percent of non inherited cases are caused by these two genes of colon cancer.

It is expected that in the near future researchers will come out with some new tests to identify the presence of these genes in an individual and if either one of these is found, doctors can do tumor checks more frequently permitting them to discover them earlier while they can still be surgically removed. With this new knowledge it is assumed that over 90 percent of all that cases caused by inherited colon cancer can be evoited.

Researchers are confident that this new discovery will lead to new anticancer drugs in a very short time period, a period of two to five years.

The genes are found on different chromosomes, but both of them act almost in the same way, being just like a guardian checking every new piece of synthesized DNA to make sure that no mutations appeared. But, if one of these genes is corrupted the new synthesized DNA pieces will be altered really bad and you will develop cancer as a result. Usually inherited cancer appears at the age of 50.

Thanks to these new discoveries new screening tests will be available for the general population. Most specialists agree that this is a huge step for the medical science resulting in the saving of countless lives and a great cost reduction in the medical system.

One of these genes is present in about 1 every 200 people all around the world making it the number one genetic defect. Screening will save a huge amount of lives but researchers already raise economic concerns regarding the medical health care; it may be possible that future agencies will deny the right to a health insurance just on the reason that a client presents a higher risk because he has one of these genes.

For more resource on different colon cancer subjects please click this link colon-cancer-center.com/ colon-cancer-center.com You can also find valuable information about colon-cancer-center.com/metastatic-colon-cancer.htm metastatic colon cancer or even about colon-cancer-center.com/colon-cancer-treatment.htm colon cancer treatment

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Unlike other illnesses, breast cancer is not actually caused by any specific factor. In fact, it is actually caused by the a host of different factors that often interact with each other. Breast cancer occurs when some cells in the breasts start to abnormally grow and spread to other tissues of the body. These cells are the ones that we call tumor cells. Contrary to popular opinion, not all tumors cause cancer. There are tumors that are actually benign and therefore cannot spread to the other parts of the body. These are not fatal. Malignant tumors however are the ones that grow and invade other tissue cells in the body. Ducts and glands are their primary targets.

Unknown to many, there are actually different kinds of breast cancer. Understanding each one can help you make sense of this condition that has claimed more than 40,000 lives in the United States alone and is the second leading cause of cancer death in the country after lung cancer. Here are some of the types and their descriptions:

Carcinoma in situ
This is the term that is often used for early stage cancer, especially when it is confined to a specific place where it first began. For instance, as mentioned before, breast cancer often starts at ducts and lobules. Carcinoma is used if the abnormal cells have not yet spread to other parts of the breast and has only remained at the root location. This is actually considered the stage 0 in breast cancer staging. Although this increases the risk of developing breast cancer in the future, this is actually not considered as already a breast cancer.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
The most common form of non-invasive breast cancer, DCIS is a term that is used to define cancer cells that have remained in the ducts and have not yet spread through its wall. This means that the fatty tissues that surround the breast have not been affected. Among the types of breast cancer, this is the most curable. In fact, most women with this condition get cured, perhaps because the cells are concentrated in just one area of the body.

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
Although not really breast cancer in the strictest sense, the lobular carcinoma in situ or LCIS for short should still be a cause of alarm as this problem can increase the risk of women getting cancer later in life. The condition is actually caused by the fact that the milk-making glands of the body do not get through the lobule walls.

Infiltrating (invasive) ductal carcinoma (IDC)
This is the most common form of breast cancer, accounting for about 80 percent of all invasive breast cancer cases. Often, cancerous cells starts in the milk passages and go through the ducts, breaks in the walls of walls of the ducts and spreads to the other parts of the breasts. If not detected and treated early, this kind of breast cancer can easily spread to the other parts of the body.

Infiltrating (invasive) lobular carcinoma (ILC)
Unlike the IDC, the infiltrating lobular carcinoma starts at the lobules instead of the ducts. The movement of the cancer cells are also the same. It goes through the passages and when left undetected and treated, can actually invade other cells in other parts of the body. This however is not as common, accounting for only 10 percent of the invasive breast cancer cases.

Breast Cancer Information - 2breastcancercare.com Breast Cancer Care

Matt McMillan

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