Home     Log in

Archive for February 20th, 2009

Gleason Level of Prostate Cancer

February 20th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

During the event of a prostate biopsy and the confirmed presence of a , the Gleason Score is judged based on the appearance of the cells under the microscope. A Gleason score is therefore awarded with the higher the Gleason level of the prostate, the severity of the malignancy of the cancer cells.

A Gleason level of a goes as follows:

Gleason Grade 1 shows the early stages of the cancer cells. Under the microscope, these cancer prostate cells would closely resemble a normal (if not healthy) prostate tissue. There are no deformities nor lumps, the prostate glands are small, formed naturally, and closely packed. Because under an inexperienced eye, this cells will be almost normal, this Gleason level of is harder to detect.

Gleason Grade 2 shows the tissue that still has well formed glands. But they would be noticeably larger and could appear a little bit swollen and have more tissue between them. At this stage of Gleason level of , this is still considered early.

Gleason Grade 3 may look the same as Gleason grade 2, although there would be some parts considerably darker. Under a powerful microscope or under high magnification, Gleason grade 3 will show the cells invading the surrounding tissues. Though still recognizable, the giveaway of this Gleason level would be the dark spots.

Gleason Grade 4 is already an escalated condition of Gleason grade 3. There would yet be recognizable glands but the cells would already be very visible. Many of the cells would by this time invade most of the surrounding tissues.

Gleason Grade 5 is the worst prostate condition. On Gleason grade 5, the prostate tissues won’t have any recognizable glands. Under the microscope they would only show tissues upon tissues of malignant cells.

The data shows that the higher the Gleason level of the , the more aggressive the cancer cells are. Knowing the Gleason level of staging, medical specialist can determine which therapy paths to take and if more comprehensive techniques like radical prostatectomy should be employed.

Identifying the Gleason level of the succeeds the prostate biopsy procedure. By extracting a tissue samples from different parts of the prostate, the medical specialist can determine the Gleason level of prostate and can recommend you the best option for treatment.

Milos Pesic is an expert in the field of Prostate Cancer and runs a highly popular and comprehensive prostate.need-to-know.net/ Prostate Cancer web site. For more articles and resources on Prostate Cancer related topics, treatment options and much more visit his site at:

=> prostate.need-to-know.net/ prostate.need-to-know.net/

Tags:

Related posts

Tags:

Determining Breast Cancer Risk Factors

February 20th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

Medical researches attempt to define risk factors in order to discover who is most likely to get a particular disease and also to find clues as to the disease’s cause and thus to the prevention and cure.

A risk factor is usually determined by taking a large population of people - say 1,000-2,000 or more - and identifying a variety of features about them, determining who gets the disease under study and then seeing what the relationship is between the disease and the features that commonly occur within the group. It is important how the findings from population researches are being used. If you determine that out of your 2,000 people under study, 500 got the disease and all 500 drank milk as infants, you can’t decide from this that milk-drinking causes . If none of the 1,500 drank milk as infants, you might be on the right track; if; as is more likely, all 1,500 did drink milk, you’ve learned nothing except that most people drink milk as children.

Sometimes, as in the case of and smoking, risk factors are dramatic and can make a clear difference to the individual’s likelihood of getting the disease. Unfortunately, it usually doesn’t work this way. In , several risk factors, such as family history, have been identified. But so far, there is nothing comparable to the correlations found between cholesterol and heart disease, or between cigarette smoking and . 70% of patients have none of the classical risk factors in their background. It is important to understand this for two reasons. Overestimating the importance of risk factors can cause needless mental distress if you have one of them in your background. On the other hand, you may create a false sense of security if you don’t have them. Most patients do not have a family history of . By virtue of being a woman, you are at risk of .

Another thing to note is that the risk factors do not necessarily increase in a simple arithmetical fashion; if one risk factor gives you a 20% risk of acquiring and another gives you another 10% chance, it doesn’t always mean that you’re up to 30%. The interaction of risk factors is a tricky and complicated process. One interesting example is in the studies on alcohol and , which shows that women with other risk factors who also drank liquor didn’t increase their risk very much, while women with no other risk factors who drank raised their risk dramatically.

Most still occurs in white women over 50 - about 50% of cases. Your risk at age 30 is 1 in 5,900 / year. By age 40, it is 1 in 1,200 / year, so the risk of getting before you’re 50 is very small. The median age of diagnosis of is 64, which means that half of women who get will get it before age 64 and half will get it after. So whenever risk factors or is discussed, it is important to correct for age. Other risk factors - family history, hormonal factors, etc. - will most likely cause only in combination with rising age.

Another factor that needs to be considered is the effect of variability of ethnic groups. The risk of African-American women and other women of color is less than that compared to Caucasian women. This is a disease that is predominantly found in non-Hispanic white women. African-American women have rates similar to those of white women premenopausally. That won’t necessarily be comforting news to African-American women, however, though it’s less common in that group, it’s often more deadly.

The difference in vulnerability to works on international level as well. Third world countries have less than highly industrialized countries.

Michael Russell

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

Tags: , , ,

Related posts

Tags: , , ,

Inner Cleavage!

February 20th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

I read an article back in March 2005 that had the words of the title of this article in it. I picked it up at the Cancer Center at Beaumont Hospital, in Detroit Michigan. It was a heartfelt story of a woman who had lost her breasts to Breast Cancer. The story went on to talk about Melissa Etheridge and of her deliberate boldness at the 2005 Grammy’s, when she came out with a bald head, after her cancer treatments, as if proudly displaying it as her “gift” of life. The story went on to talk about women who in desperation for survival had in some ways traded their beauty for life.

I related to the story, being a survivor myself. But, what truly touched me about that article was the woman in the story talking about how when her outer beauty had faded away, and during treatments, she was “left with spirit, raw and powerful and hanging on with claws, daring her to live.”

What a concept. Have you ever been dared to live? Tim McGraw has an old song titled “Live like you were dying,” about a man, who seemingly is given a certain number of years or months to live due to some type of fatal disease. In the song when asked what he was to do about this news, he replied with, “skydiving,” “mountain climbing,” and a wish to all of his friends to one day know what it feels like to “live like you were dying.”

I remember what it felt like going through my cancer treatments. I remember the ugliness of my body and the forced humbleness of a deep seeded pride. I recall wondering if I would live through it, the pain, the blisters and stress. Looking back, I realize, I “lived” every day. I lived more then each day then I sometimes do now. Why is it that we have to be faced with something tragic to appreciate LIFE? What is it in our human-ess that makes us forget the grace and mercy of God and the power of prayer until we are brought to our knees at a crucial point in our life and MADE to remember? Funny, how God sometimes has a way of reminding us of the fragility of life. I believe He does this just so that we DO remember.

I recently was reminded again last week when another lump was found after almost two years of “survival.” I’m a prayerful, faithful woman, but I found myself even MORE prayerful. I found more time to enjoy my days, to kiss my kids and tell my husband I loved him. I also found a lot more time for God. Hmmm, makes me wonder why. But isn’t life funny that way? We move along forgetting that our time is short, our days are numbered, our fate is destined and we truly have no idea when Gods hand will reach down and pluck us from our busy, appointment filled, carpooling, grocery shopping, house cleaning, business building days. These precious days that we can’t seem to find time to get on our knees and give thanks because we don’t have the time. Why, because our lives are just too full. Too full. I want you to remember that last statement. Life IS full. Praise God our lives are filled! Live every single day of it!

We have one month, one day a year to get our families together to gather in praise and thanksgiving. A National Holiday will do that for most of us. But how about not waiting for that Thanksgiving Holiday or that crucial moment of unknown fate.

When you find yourself on your knees at times like these, stay there. We could all stand to kneel a little longer. My hope is that this year we remember Gods graces and appreciate our lives and everything in them because God is good! Something as simple as feeling your pulse each morning is proof of that. Keep on remembering. While you’re at it, remember those full days when your inbox is so full that you can barely find time to breathe? Those are the days to be grateful for. Those are the days to get on your knees in praise because when your “in-box” is empty, you’re dead.

By the way that lump in my breast? Nothing but a small cyst. Cancer Free another day! Praise the heavens for this and every day. I intend to fully live ALL of mine. How about you?

Melissa Privett is a Transformational Workshop Leader and Keynote Speaker. She is intensively trained to facilitate a myraid of seminars and workshops for personal and spiritual growth and self-acceptance. Her workshops are highly praised for their inspirational empowerment of women. Melissa is also available for Spiritual Life Coaching by phone or in person and Chakra and Energy Balancing by appointment. She can be reached at 248-231-8018 or visit her website at lifepathworkshops.com lifepathworkshops.com

Tags: ,

Related posts

Tags: ,

Kidney Cancer

February 20th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Uncategorized

Kidney cancer affects men about twice as often as women. Most people who contract this disease are over the age of 50.

Causes
The exact causes of kidney cancer are not well understood. kidney cancer is not contagious; no one can “catch” any type of cancer from another person.
Scientists have learned that smoking is a major risk factor for kidney cancer. Smokers are twice as likely to get this disease as nonsmokers. Several studies also suggest that the risk of developing kidney cancer may be higher than average among people with certain jobs. Groups with increased risk include coke oven workers and those who work with asbestos. Research also shows that being overweight can increase the chance of getting some types of cancer. kidney cancer may be one of them.

Symptoms
The most common symptom of kidney cancer is blood in the urine. In some cases, a person can actually see the blood. It may be present one day and not the next. Another symptom of kidney cancer is a lump or mass that can be felt in the kidney area. The tumor may cause a dull ache or pain in the back or side.

Investigation
To diagnose kidney cancer, the patient’s personal and family medical history is taken and a thorough physical examination is conducted. In addition to checking temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and other general signs of health, the doctor usually orders blood and urine tests and one or more of the below mentioned exams :

Treatment
If these tests suggest that a tumor is present, it is important to know the extent, or stage, of the disease. Because kidney cancer can spread to the bones, lungs, liver, or brain, staging procedures may include special x-rays and tests to check these organs.
Treatment for kidney cancer depends on the location and size of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread to other organs. kidney cancer is treated with surgery, embolization, or hormone therapy, biological therapy, or , which are forms of systemic therapy and rarely Radiation therapy.

Surgery
Most kidney cancer patients have surgery, an operation called Radical nephrectomy. In some cases, the surgeon removes the whole kidney or just the part of the kidney that contains the tumor. More often, the surgeon removes the whole kidney along with the adrenal gland and the fat around the kidney. Also, nearby lymph nodes may be removed because they are one of the first places where kidney cancer spreads. Finding cancer cells in the lymph nodes means there may be cancer elsewhere in the body.

Radical Nephrectomy is major surgery. For a few days after the operation, most patients need medicine to relieve pain. Discomfort may make it difficult to breathe deeply, and patients have to do special coughing and breathing exercises to keep their lungs clear. Patients may need IV (intravenous) feedings and fluids for several days before and after the operation. Nurses will keep track of the amount of fluid the patient takes in and the amount of urine produced. The remaining kidney takes over the work of the one that was removed.

Embolization
In embolization, a substance is injected to clog the renal blood vessels. The tumor shrinks because it does not get the blood supply it needs to grow. In some cases, embolization makes surgery easier. When surgery is not possible, this treatment may help reduce pain and bleeding.

Embolization can cause pain, fever, nausea, or vomiting. These problems are treated with medicine. Often, patients also require intravenous fluids.

For more information click here………
dilipraja.com Kidney Cancer
Urology Centre of Dr.Dilipraja’s offers comprehensive urological services to diagnose and treat kidney stone diseases, impotence, and other difficulties.

For more information click here………
dilipraja.com Kidney Cancer
Urology Centre of Dr.Dilipraja’s offers comprehensive urological services to diagnose and treat kidney stone diseases, impotence, and other difficulties.

Tags: ,

Related posts

Tags: ,