Myth: Radiation therapy increases the chances of the breast cancer spreading.

Radiation therapy is done with the intention of reducing the spread of the cancer. Therefore, if you have cancer in one breast and if you go for radiation therapy for it, the chance of it spreading to the other breast does not exist. However, teenage girls who receive chest radiation for Hodgkin’s disease do run the risk of developing breast cancer because newly developing breasts are vulnerable to damage by radiation.

Myth: A mammogram will prevent breast cancer.

Mammograms are only used as a means of detection; whether or not you have a malignancy, it will in no way prevent you from getting one. If the malignancy is detected at an early stage by mammography, the chances of it being cured are very good. Mammography is the only possible means of detecting a malignancy in women who do not have an evident physical signs, that is, a lump in the breast. It is recommended that women over 40 years of age have a mammogram every year.

Myth: Breast feeding gives rise to breast cancer.

This is not so. Studies have shown that breast feeding may actually decrease the chances of a woman getting breast cancer. This is not confirmed data however. Women who breast feed can certainly get breast cancer but breast feeding is definitely not a cause of getting it.

Myth: Mammograms are dangerous and breast cancer can spread by having one done.

Mammograms are actually x-rays of the breast using very low levels of radiation of about 0.1 to 0.2 rad dose per x-ray. It is best if you speak with your physician who will answer all the question you will need to ask.

Myth: Wearing bras with under-wire can cause breast cancer.

What is suggested is that by wearing bras with the under-wire it can cause constriction of the body’s lymph node system and thereby resulting in breast cancer. This is completely false.

Myth: An injury to the breast can be the cause of breast cancer.

As a result of an injury, you will not develop breast cancer; you can however develop a non cancerous lump owing to an injury.

Myth: Nipple discharge indicates breast cancer.

Most of the nipple discharges are not an indication of a cancerous condition.

A watery or a bloody nipple discharge is said to be abnormal, of which, only about 10 percent are considered cancerous. Most of the bloody discharges are owing to papillomas, which are non-cancerous. If the discharge is milky, green, yellow or clear it is not cancerous. However if a woman has a nipple discharge about which she is concerned then she should consult her physician who will then probably do a clinical examination. Some nipple discharges that should be further examined are if they are persistent, if it appears without even having to squeeze the nipple, if it is some other fluid other than breast milk, if it is from one breast only, bloody or watery with a brown, red or pink coloration and if it is sticky and clear in color or black or brown.

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

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The symptoms of ovarian cancer come into notice mostly when it grows for some time and the cancer mass becomes large enough. Some women, however, may feel some symptoms, like pelvic pain, even in the early stages. As the symptoms are vague and are often similar to those of common benign conditions, the victims often tend to ignore them.

Detection of ovarian cancer is difficult in its early stages because the two small, almond shaped organs are deep within the abdominal cavity, one on each side of the uterus.

Among the common initial symptoms are bloating, pressure, pain or discomfort caused by fluid buildup or masses within the abdominal cavity. Fluid may also accumulate around the lungs, causing breathing problems, in case the cancer spreads to the diaphragm.

Because of the pressure on the stomach, one can also lose appetite or experience a feeling of fullness even after an extremely light meal. When the tumor begins exerting pressure on the bowel or bladder, the victim may experience nausea, vomiting, gas, diarrhea, constipation, or frequent urination. Some other symptoms, though not so frequent, are fever, vaginal bleeding and lower backache. One may also experience unexplained weight gain or loss, abnormal fatigue or changes in bowel habits.

If the symptoms persist in spite of normal procedures of diet change, exercise, or the use of laxatives, the patient should not delay in consulting a doctor. As the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer are vague or silent, only a small percentage of cases are detected in the early stages. Symptoms begin to manifest themselves in the advanced stages, when tumor growth exerts pressure on the bladder and rectum, and fluid begins to form.

If these vague symptoms persist over four to six weeks, it is wise to go for a thorough recto-vaginal examination. In recto-vaginal pelvic examination, the doctor simultaneously inserts one finger in the rectum and one in the vagina.

e-OvarianCancer.com Ovarian Cancer provides detailed information on Ovarian Cancer, Ovarian Cancer Symptoms, Ovarian Cancer Treatments, Ovarian Cancer Stages and more. Ovarian Cancer is affiliated with e-mesotherapy.com Mesotherapy Before And After.

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Dealing with Illness.

“To every life some rain must fall,” I don’t know who actually said that statement first, but my mum often repeated those words. She always said, “Sometimes the rain comes in one great flood, other times it comes and goes, always leaving us wiser for the experience.” “You might be saying right now, yea some rain is ok but why the darn flood!”

If you are lucky enough to live to be a ripe old age, then you can be assured that illness will touch your life in one way or another, yet the real question is, “How will you deal with it when it comes?” Believe it or not but its normal to find yourself asking, “Why me?” and its normal to get angry, its normal not to be able to cope, and its normal to be scared to death. But will you allow any of the above to paralyse your life and stop you from living? That is the big question!

Sometimes the illness that provokes you to grow the most is not your own, but rather the illness of a loved one, family or friend. Just yesterday I sat scanning in some old photos into my computer of friends, having reached the mid years of my life, sometimes especially at times like Easter and Christmas, I tend to become a little reflective, not in a bad way, but more in a sense of appreciation of who I am today and how I managed to become the person I am today, having experienced all the ups and downs that have come my way. This year however, this Easter has been a little different. I found as I scanned pictures into the file, that I it was a time of saying goodbye, no I am not ill, or even sick for a change, thank God. Although I was suddenly shocked to realise how many of the friends whose pictures I was saving for posterity, are no longer with me, or who are now gravely ill. It was quite a sobering realisation that only a handful is in good health, and thriving upon life.

So back to my topic of dealing with illness; I am one of those odd people, you know those who are strongest for those who cant be, one who puts themselves aside to help where ever I can, in some ways a champion of those in need, so I have been told. I think nothing of diving in, helping anyone who needs a hand, and although there are dozens of people out there like me, the amazing thing is that not everyone can deal with illness.

Many times when someone gets ill, their families will simply not know how to deal with it. They may get angry and push the person who is ill away, or blame them, saying you’re brought this on yourself, or they may just pretend its not happening, or avoid the situation all together. It’s so important that in order for the person who is ill to recover, that families don’t start a war over who does what or should I say who don’t do what. In plain truth some people don’t cope and don’t know how to deal with the emotions. I suppose what I am trying to say here is, just because you are coping doesn’t mean everyone else can. It also does not mean they love you less or the person who is ill any less. Sometimes people love so deeply that to see the person they love going through the anguish of ill health they just run away, it’s all too much. You see in order to deal with illness you must be prepared to go deep, deep into your emotions, deep into your own psyche, deep inside the realms of spirit, and not everyone wants to go there. Not everyone is strong enough to swim the English Channel, and not everyone is strong enough to hold your hand while you die, or while you heal.

Acceptance of people is so important during times of illness, by letting people find their place in the chaos of the emotions is so important for everyone, don’t expect people to do what they don’t know how to do, and with any luck they will surprise you by stepping up to the mark in their own time.

Find people who can give you the support you need, people like me are there, in the wings, waiting to hold out a hand, give a hug and cup of tea and sometimes a little wisdom of how to deal with things. Blame, guilt, anger are all wasted emotions, after all they are not going to help make anyone better, they are only going to tare the fabric of your life apart even further if your not careful.

Grief is not something that comes after someone dies, often the grief is more devastating while the person is ill, and undergoing treatment for illness. And not every illness ends in death, thankfully. However, relationships that may well have been healed in the process of healing the illness sometimes die instead. The primary cause, terminal lack of compassion and understanding, terminal expectations of others, and terminal lack of courage, the greatest gift you can ever give other members of your family is to let them find their own position in the process. Remember, not everyone has courage and some simply love too much.

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Living with illness - Many Blessings.

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The most common type of breast cancer in women that is noninvasive is referred to as DCIS, which stands for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. The term “in situ” refers to cancer cells that have not moved out of the system in which they began to grow. With DCIS the cancer cells develop in a milk duct in the breast and are found before they have a chance outside of the duct. DCIS is the noninvasive version of Ductal Carcinoma and is usually discovered during the course of a regular mammography because it can show up as specks of calcifications. If these specks appear, then the next step is a biopsy.

Ductal Carcinoma In Situ is referred to as a Stage 0 cancer, but it is taken very seriously by doctors. Treatment for DCIS is usually much more aggressive than it’s in situ cousin, LCIS (or lobular neoplasia). Even though it is a serious condition, there is plenty of time to educate yourself and weigh all your options concerning treatment and possible reconstruction. There is close to a 100% rate of success in treating DCIS with the standard medical treatment.

DCIS usually appears in two different forms, which describe how the cancer looks on pathological examination under a microscope. The comedo type will express dead cells out of it, much like a pimple or zit on the skin, hence the name comedo.

The non-comedo DCIS types are 1) solid where the DCIS cells fill in the milk duct all the way, 2) cribiform DCIS where the cells do NOT completely fill in the duct, in fact there will be some areas of empty space between the cancer cells and 3) papillary and micropapillary DCIS in which the cells are sparse, like cribiform, but have a pattern to them.

The comedo type is considered to be more aggressive than that of the non-comedo types. By looking under a microscope, a pathologist can tell the difference between the two based on the number of dead, or necrotic, cells in the middle of the milk duct. Have large amounts of dead cells in a cancerous area means that the cancer can be faster growing.

Even though DCIS is considered to be a pre-cancer or Stage 0, the treatment options are very similar to invasive ductal carcinoma. Depending on where the area of DCIS is located and how many areas there are, a patient will have a choice between a lumpectomy and mastectomy. As with Stage 1 and higher cancers, further treatment will be decided based on the size of the area or tumor, the pathologic grade, HER2 status, lymph node involvement and the hormonal status. Family history and other related risk factors should also be taken into consideration when deciding on treatment options.

While a diagnosis of DCIS can be frightening, it is certainly a very treatable condition. Fortunately by catching the cancer before it has broken out of the ductal system and made its way into the fatty breast tissue or lymph system, the chance that the disease has spread is very very small.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to

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