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Retinoblastoma

December 23rd, 2008 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

Retinoblastoma is eye
cancer, which is found on the surface of the retina. New technological advances
are being made every day in the treatment of Retinoblastoma, and one of the most
common treatments used is cryotherapy, or the freezing of the cancerous tissue.

Children and adults, men
and women are all equally susceptible to this type of eye cancer. Generally the
two classifications are intraocular and extraocular retinoblastoma. These mean
simply that the cancer is either localized to the retina, or it has spread
throughout the body.

Studies have shown that in the United
States and northern Europe areas, retinoblastoma occurs once in every 15,000 to
20,000 births. About a two quarters of the cases are hereditary and have been
linked to a specific gene mutation. The cancer can occur in one or both eyes.

Fatal if left untreated which is most common, the tumors can spread to the brain
via the optic nerve. Treatment for retinoblastoma can include ,
radiation and surgery. In some cases, the eye must be removed. The overall
five-year survival rate for children with retinoblastoma in the United States is
93 percent.

The classification of a
specific case and how affected the patient’s vision, work to help the medical
doctor’s determine a prognosis. The treatment plan will be developed around
these and other factors including the health of the patient and the latest
treatment advances.

In order to determine the
presence of this cancer in other parts of the body, once retinoblastoma is
diagnosed, a lumbar puncture may be performed. Also, a CT scan or MRI will
provide information crucial to the patient’s treatment.

Written by

Joe Lovrek

expresslinking.com/ Express Linking

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Understanding What The Prostate Gland Is Could Help Your Fight Against Prostate Cancer

December 23rd, 2008 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

A man’s prostate gland is located beneath the bladder. It’s shape like a doughnut, and the urethra, which transports urine from the bladder, runs through the middle. The purpose of the prostate is to produce the fluid that gets mixed with sperm when the man ejaculates.

Unfortunately, the prostate is also very susceptible to cancer, and it’s the most common type of cancer in men in western countries. Generally, tumors in the prostate grow slowly, and don’t require treatment. However others grow rapidly, and can spread to other areas of the body, particularly the bones, which can be very painful. Around 280,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

Some of the more common symptoms indicating the presence of include difficulty passing urine, particularly at night, or even an inability to urinate. Patients may also have a weak or interrupted flow or urine, pain in the lower back, blood in the urine, pain when urinating or pain in the hips and upper thighs. The presence of the symptoms may also indicate a benign enlargement of the prostate, so the presence of any of these symptoms doesn’t automatically indicate . A doctor should be consulted for an accurate diagnosis.

Research into the cause of has been ongoing for many years, and although no exact cause has been found, there are a number of risk factors. It’s thought that radiation may account for some cases, and anything up to ten percent of cases are in men with a family history of , suggesting a genetic factor. It’s been suggested that having a family history can increase your risk of developing by two or three times.

Age is another, and probably the major, risk factor. It’s very unusual for men less than 50 years of age to develop , but more than half the diagnosed cases of are in men over 75.

Some research has suggested that diet can have an effect on your risk of getting . You need to focus on eating low-fat food, and eat lots of tomatoes and cruciform vegetables (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli). Other studies have suggested that vitamin E can be effective, but these results haven’t been confirmed. Selenium is another possible option, with some studies suggesting that 200microgrammes of daily can reduce the risk of .

One myth that persisted for many years was that having a vasectomy made a man more susceptible to . This has been proven incorrect, with no noticeable difference in between men who have a vasectomy and those who don’t.

The important thing to remember is that early diagnosis gives you a much better chance of successful treatment. Advanced is difficult to cure, and there’s a much higher risk of the cancer spreading in the body. So any man who has reached the age of 50 should make sure they are aware of the symptoms of , and get a checkup immediately if they notice any developing. It’s also a good idea to have a prostate health check regularly as well.

For more information on the guide-to-prostate-cancer.com/signs_of_prostate_cancer.php common signs of try visiting guide-to-prostate-cancer.com, a website that specializes in providing tips, advice and resources dealing with to include information on guide-to-prostate-cancer.com/hormone_treatment.php hormone treatment for .

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Some Facts About Asbestos

December 23rd, 2008 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

While tracing the history of asbestos it was found that its usage dates back to 2000 years. The name ‘asbestos’ was first used by the Greeks, which meant ‘inextinguishable’. Though the Greeks also noted the harmful effect of asbestos, yet they did not pay any heed to its dangers because according to them it had magical powers that had to be used to fulfill the daily purposes of life.

The Roman naturalist Pliny and the Greek geographer Strabo also noted the devastating effect of asbestos on human beings but they did not arise any questions considering its several magical uses in their regular life.

Some Facts about Asbestos What is Asbestos? Asbestos is the term given to a collection of six naturally occurring minerals that are incombustible and separable into filaments. These six minerals are chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, anthophyllite, termolite and actinolite. Among these six asbestos minerals, the first three are abundantly used in manufacturing of industrial and commercial products.

Uses of Asbestos Asbestos was being used since ancient Greek times and its usage continued till 1700, but it was popularized after the Industrial Revolution. It was used in construction mainly in steel pipes, industries, steam pipes, hand held hair dryers to prevent over heating, household items and in several other industries for various purposes.

Versatility of Asbestos The reason for the popularity of asbestos was its power of resistance to electricity and its fire and heat proofing capacities. Being a fireproof or incombustible material, asbestos is impervious to every weather effect. This high tensile strength and flexibility makes asbestos very versatile for usage in various products and industries.

Diseases caused by Asbestos One of the deadliest diseases caused by asbestos is cancer. It has become a threat to human civilization causing pain, suffering and loss of thousands of lives. The mortality rate is so high that eight out of ten mesoblog.org/” target=”_blank patients pass away even before the treatment starts. It is a deadly cancer caused mainly to those who are exposed to asbestos in some way.

The other deadly disease caused by asbestos is asbestosis, a serious form of lung illness. The main symptoms of asbestosis are short breath after exercise or exertion, dry prolonged cough, general malaise or feeling tired and wheezing.

Treatment of Diseases caused by Asbestos Being a form of cancer, all the traditional cancer treatments are applied to treat . Surgery for cutting out the affected part of the lungs, to attack the cancer cells; or radiation to kill the cancerous cells are the only mesoblog.org/treatment-and-care.php” target=”_blank treatments for cancer. However, newer and better modes of treatments are being worked out to help patients.

Diagnosis for asbestosis is necessary in its early stage as prolonged asbestosis can turn into cancer later in life. Regular intake of the prescribed medicine and check-up can help a lot. But the life span decreases on its own as the disease is diagnosed a long time after exposure to asbestos.

Legal Claims for Asbestosis and Mesothelioma
An asbestosis or legal claim can be filed on your behalf if your disease is caused by exposure to asbestos. An attorney will investigate how much asbestos containing material you were exposed to, who were the employers and what proper safety measures were taken for your health. This claim can be made against the construction company, the asbestos suppliers and even the individuals who were responsible to look after your health safety.

Laura Russell is a professional health writer having expertise in the field of Mesothelioma Cancer.

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Necessary Steps for Lung Cancer Prevention

December 23rd, 2008 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

Research continues to show that the most common cause for is the use of tobacco. Lung cancer typically develops over a long period of time. The first pre-cancerous changes that form in the lungs mutate and produce chemicals that result in the formation of new blood vessels. These blood vessels nurture the cancer cells. The cancer cells grow together and form a tumor. These cancer cells have the ability to easily spread to other parts of our body even before the cancer is detected. This process is known as metastasis and is one of the main reasons why is so fast moving and life-threatening.

Lung cancers are classified as small-cell lung cancers and non-small-cell lung cancers. Non-small-cell is further divided into three types, known as squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. In the United States alone, about 213,380 people are estimated to be suffering from , with nearly 160,390 deaths occurring in the year 2007. Current data shows that accounts for 29% of all cancer deaths. About one-third of cancer and 80% of are caused by the usage of tobacco, either directly or indirectly.

Lung methods are very important because of the difficulty to detect until it is in an advanced stage, when treatments are really not effective. A few simple steps have the potential to prevent the incidence of . Smoking and the use of tobacco products should be completely avoided or stopped. Data reveals that long-term cessation of smoking reduces the incidence of by over 50%. Exposure to radon gas and other carcinogens like petroleum products should be avoided.

A healthy diet consisting of more vegetables and fruits is highly recommended. Nowadays, many governments have initiated active anti-smoking programs and advertising campaigns because of the strain on the health care system that tobacco products add to it. Many of them also impose high taxes on tobacco products to discourage tobacco users. Several nations have enacted strict laws towards smoking in public places including workplaces and for restricting tobacco access to minors. Studies reveal that smoking bans in workplaces effectively reduce the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) by 72%.

Mass media anti-tobacco campaigns reduce the initiation of new persons to tobacco, decrease tobacco consumption, and increase cessation of tobacco. A sustained multi-pronged approach alone could create mass awareness about prevention. When more and more people realize the harm caused by tobacco, consumption would decline and the effects on cases would be immense as well as other health concerns like heart disease, stroke and hypertension.

Darren Dunner is the author of this article on

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