I learned some interesting facts about breast cancer that I feel every woman should know. The sources I used for this article included the American Cancer Society, The National Cancer Institute, and the Avon Foundation’s Breast Cancer Crusade.

Early breast cancer isn’t usually detected by pain. In fact, when breast cancer first develops, there may be no symptoms at all. That is why regular exams are important. If you have anything that makes you suspect breast cancer, contact your doctor immediately. Don’t wait around to see what happens. Let the professional decide. Some symptoms that may indicate breast cancer include, but are not limited to, the following:

Nipple discharge or tenderness

Lumps in breast and/or underarm area

Visual changes which include: size of breast including swelling; inverted nipple; and pitting. Pitting means the skin looks like the skin of an orange. Scaling of the breast skin could also be a symptom.

Early detection of breast cancer is important. There is a 97% five-year survival rate when breast cancer is detected early since this can help prevent it from spreading. Below are some guidelines to early detection. I hope they help save someone’s life.

Get a Mammogram

A mammogram is a specialized x-ray of the breast to help detect cancers which cannot be detected by feel. Some women are confused as to how often they should get a mammogram. Here is what the professionals say about mammograms.

At age 40 begin getting annual mammograms by a licensed technician. A mammogram will take about twenty minutes. When getting a mammogram avoid wearing deodorant, powders, or cream under your arms. Sometimes they can interfere with the results. Make sure to contact the center if they do not inform you of the results within thirty days. It is very important that results are compared from one year to the next. Hence, be sure you know where your mammogram film is being held.

Clinical Breast Exam

This is an exam by a health care professional. Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam at least every three years and women 40 or older should have an exam each year.

Self-Examination

Starting at age 20 women should begin doing a self-exam. Ask your doctor if you are not exactly sure how to do this or if you are not sure you are doing it correctly. Here are a few guides to follow: Lie down and place one arm behind your head. Using your three middle finger pads press firmly across your breast in overlapping dime-size circular motions. Use three different levels of pressure: light, medium, and firm. This allows you to feel the tissue close to your skin, to feel a little deeper, and to feel the tissue closest to your chest and ribs.

Move across your breast in an up and down pattern, starting from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone, repeating the pressure.

Stand in front of a mirror with your hands pressing down on your hips and look at your breasts for any changes in size, shape, contour, or dimpling. Also, do this with your arms slightly raised. Make sure you check under your breasts as well.

I hope that this information proves helpful to you. I am not a health care provider and by no means a professional on breast cancer. I am simply sharing with every woman possible the importance of detecting breast cancer early and some simple guidelines that might save a life.

My sources for the above information are:

American Cancer Society The National Cancer Institute Breast Health Resource Guide by the Avon Foundation’s Breast Cancer Crusade

Donna Rivera-Loudon
todaysmodernwoman.com Health Tips for the Modern Woman
Donna has an MBA in Information Technology and is currently a Tupperware Director and CEO of her own company. She also teaches online Management and Business classes for a local community college as well as computer classes for a four-year university.

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Basal Cell Cancer is one the most frequently diagnosed skin cancers. It affects the basal cells, which are located in the bottom layer of the epidermis. Malignant cells proliferate excessively from the epidermis resulting in a tumor. The incidence of basal cell cancer increases with age. Almost all people diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma can expect to live at least another 5 years.

Causes of Basal Cell Cancer

It is one the most frequently diagnosed skin cancer.

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is the main risk factor for developing BCCs. While its occurrence is more in older people, it is becoming more common in younger people even in their 20s and 30s.

Fair-skinned people have a much greater risk for BCC. Radiation treatments, as well as immune suppression, also increase one’s risk. In western countries, those who use tanning beds also have an elevated risk for BCCs. People with several inherited disorders that manifest a greater sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation, have an increased prevalence of BCC.

Signs & Symptoms of Basal Cell Cancer

Basal cell carcinoma is seen most often on the head and neck, but can affect any area.

The typical signs of BCC are:

An open sore that has not healed in three weeks and is oozing, bleeding or crusting.
A irritated patch of skin, especially on the face, neck, chest, arms, or legs.
Any new, smooth skin nodule (bump) with a raised border and indented center. Or a smooth, shiny, or pearly bump that looks like a mole or cyst.

A scar especially on the face, with a shiny look of tight-looking skin, and poorly defined edges.
Occasional BCCs can be pigmented (dark), particularly in darker-skinned individuals. In these cases, the tumors manifest the same signs of a non-pigmented variant, except they are brown instead of pink.

A fairly common BCC variant is superficial BCC. It rarely invades and is typically confined to the epidermis. It is seen on the trunk and extremities and appears as a red, scaly plaque, with crusting. Because of its similarity in appearance and slow growth, to that of eczema or psoriasis, it becomes difficult to diagnose.

A form of BCC known as morpheaform or sclerosing BCC causes a more aggressive lesion. It looks whitish, without a defined edge, and is firm to the touch. It may look like a scar and can blend in fairly well with the surrounding skin, thus escaping detection for years, while continuing to spread. When these tumors are removed, they are surprisingly larger than expected.

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.

DoctorGoodSkin.com is a popular doctorgoodskin.com/ skin care guide where you can find a lot of information, articles and tips about acne, skin care, STDs, skin diseases and conditions, skin treatments, procedures, skin care products, etc. If you love solving funquizcards.com/ quizzes and tests, visit funquizcards. Myspace users, click wishafriend.com/ac/ myspace comments such as compliments, cool comments, flirty, birthday, holidays, religion, funny, cute, etc.

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Melanoma is essentially skin cancer. If detected early
enough, it can be cured in ninety-five percent of the
cases. However, it can also be fatal if allowed to run its
course. Melanomas can be almost invisible in some cases, so
a cursory examination is not effective in some cases.
Hidden melanomas are, fortunately, relatively rare.

All melanomas are formed from cells that produce pigment.
These are called melanocytes. So the cancer can develop
wherever there is pigmentation in the body. Hidden
melanomas can occur in difficult to detect parts of the
body, hence the need to do a thorough check annually.

An example of an unusual location where a hidden melanoma
can develop is the eye (intraocular melanoma). So the eyes
should be included in the check-up. An effective
preventative would be to use high quality sunglasses with
one-hundred percent UV protection. If you have prescription
glasses, photochromic lenses with UV protection are
preferable.

It is useful to be aware that melanomas can also develop in
areas that are not exposed to sun rays. These include the
palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, in-between toes,
under the nails, and on the scalp! Even harder to detect
areas that the cancer can develop in are the genitalia,
anus, and mucosal lining of the mouth.

A potentially dangerous phenomenon is a “halo nevus”. This
manifests as a white halo around a mole or brown spot. It
appears that the mole or spot is shrinking, but a more
lethal process is underway - the melanoma is actually
digging deeper leaving less of itself on the surface.

HOW TO DETECT A MELANOMA:

It is of vital importance that you do a body skin check
every month, looking for brown spots in all the areas
outlined above. What you should also be looking for are new
spots or moles, or any changes to existing ones over a time
period of a few months. Potentially dangerous growths are
those that have asymmetrical ragged borders, or are six
millimeters or more in diameter. Another danger signal is
when growths disappear and reappear, or growths that bleed
easily. Melanomas under the nails usually occur in the
thumbs and large toes, and appear as black or brown
coloured streaks.

Possible symptoms of hidden melanomas, such as in the mouth
and esophagus, are inexplicable bleeding from the nose,
genitalia or urinary tract, throat pain and difficulty
swallowing, and a tightness in the esophageal area.

In addition to your personal monthly skin check, it is
strongly recommended that you have an annual examination
conducted by a qualified dermatologist.

HIGH RISK CANDIDATES:

Melanomas can develop in anybody, but the following are at
a higher risk:

Those who have had a previous skin cancer.
Those with a family history of skin cancer.
Those with several abnormal appearing moles (dysplastic nevi).
Fair skinned people with light eyes, who easily sunburn.
Blacks, and dark skinned people, are susceptible to under
the nail melanomas (subungual), and mucosal melanoma.

PREVENTION:

Avoid excessive exposure to the sun, but don’t be obsessive
about it. Remember, sunlight stimulates the formation of
vitamin D, which is important for the body. Conduct
frequent checks on yourself, especially if you fall into
the high risk group. And, studies show that if you exercise
regularly, you gain protection from melanoma. Researchers
think that this might be because exercise enhances a
process called UVB-induced apoptosis, in which the body
kills sun-damaged cells.

Roshmi Raychaudhuri & Jay Chatterjee launched
their web site youngagainforever.com youngagainforever.com to promote
Tibetan anti-aging yoga, and a broad spectrum of natural health products and informative articles. Jay, an ex-finance executive, resides in Canada and Roshmi, an art gallery owner, lives in India. They share an avid interest in natural and holistic health subjects. Their websites: youngagainforever.com youngagainforever.com and contemporaryart-india.com contemporaryart-india.com

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Tags: melanoma, skin cancer

Prostate cancer is normally a slow growth cancer that can take years before it becomes deadly. Many men, especially those later in life have made the decision with their doctors to simply watch and wait. Men at higher risk for prostate cancer include African-American men older than 60, farmers, tire plant workers, painters, and men exposed to cadmium; the lowest number of cases occurs in Japanese men and those who do not eat meat who reach the age of 80.

The main job of the prostate gland is to make seminal fluid, the milky substance that transports sperm. In most men, prostate cancer grows very slowly; most men will never even know they have the condition. Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer in men of all ages and is the most common cause of death from cancer in men over 75 years old.

Most prostate cancer symptoms, although usually associated with prostate cancer, are more likely to be connected to non-cancerous conditions. Additional symptoms that may be associated are bone pain or tenderness, and abdominal pain. If you have one or more prostate cancer symptoms, you should see your doctor as soon as possible.

Some men may experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer. There are various other symptoms that may not be mentioned here. The need to urinate frequently, especially at night is another common symptom but can mimic other health issues.

There are several potential downsides to PSA testing; for example a high PSA does not mean a patient has prostate cancer. One downside to PSA testing is that health care providers are detecting and treating some very early-stage prostate cancers that may never have developed into anything. There is a newer test called an AMACR that is more sensitive than the PSA test for determining the presence of prostate cancer.

The decision about whether or not to pursue a PSA test should be based on a discussion between you and your doctor. A bone scan can indicate whether the cancer has spread. A chest x-ray may be done also to see if there’s a spread of cancer or metastasis.

What you can do right now is begin to understand what exactly your treatment options are and where you’re going to start. Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy can all interfere with libido on a temporary or permanent basis. Most men simply want the best treatment they can get but what is important is choosing the best treatment for you.

Urinary incontinence can be one of the complications of surgery. Medicines can be used to adjust the levels of testosterone; this is called hormonal manipulation. Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has metastasized.

Side effects of the chemotherapy drugs depend on which ones you’re taking and how often and how long they’re taken. The invasive conventional treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial. If continued chemotherapy is decided upon after the first round of chemotherapy, most men receive further doses on an outpatient basis at a clinic or physician’s office. Think hard and long before committing to any chemotherapy.

Whether radiation is as good as removing the prostate gland is debatable and the decision about which to choose, if any, can be difficult for anyone. Prostate cancer that has spread may be treated conventionally with drugs to reduce testosterone levels, surgery to remove the testes, chemotherapy or even nothing at all. A new therapy is on the forefront that recruits the body’s own immune system cells to destroy any tumors that could become a new way to treat men with advanced prostate cancer - if the FDA approves the highly individualized treatment.

For a more natural approach making a ginger tea, by adding a thin slice or two of fresh gingerroot to hot water, is helpful to many people I know. Concentrating on a diet of predominately fruits and vegetables (preferably raw- uncooked) and no junk food, should give you an observable improvement in your overall health within 30 days. Eat foods that contain the essential fatty acids.

A good dietary, natural treatment approach is to avoid all acidic inflammatory foods; those are foods that are not alive, not dead, non-nutrient food. Studies done on antioxidant vitamins question their value when not actually contained in food; it’s clearly better to consume these antioxidants in living foods because they may also need to work with other nutrients present in the foods to work properly. Some foods and beverages to avoid that are inflammatory are: caffeine, salt, sugar, meat, dairy products, additives, soft drinks, white flour, white rice, alcoholic beverages, fast food, processed vegetable oils, and canned, refined, packaged and processed food.

Eat high-fiber snacks like raw nuts (soak them overnight first to release the enzyme inhibitors that make them difficult to digest), raw seeds, and dried fruit, such as dates, and figs. Drink plenty of pure, unchlorinated, filtered water, a minimum of a quart each day. For an easy fiber boost, mix in two tablespoons of ground-up flaxseeds in raw applesauce made from two-three apples in your food processor.

Evidence indicates that many patients detect cancer at an earlier stage because of annual screening, so make sure to get a good, thorough exam. As new research comes out adjust your treatment options accordingly but a good diet will be your best initial defense. In the end, only you with the help of your doctors, knowing your individual situation, can determine the best treatment plan for you.

For more information on BestProstateHealthTips.com prostate cancer treatments and prostate cancer symptoms go to BestProstateHealthTips.com BestProstateHealthTips.com Helen Hecker R.N.’s website specializing in prostate and prostate cancer tips, advice and resources, including information on prostate tests and BestProstateHealthTips.com natural prostate cancer treatments

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Tags: cancer treatment, chemotherapy, prostate cancer