Breast Cancer - Medical Symptoms, Causes And Treatments

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) growth in the breast that can spread to the lymph nodes, lungs, brain, and bones. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. This article takes a brief yet concise look at the medical symptoms, causes and treatments for cancer of the breast.

Breast Cancer Symptoms And Causes

In the early stages of the cancer, symptoms usually do not appear. As the cancer grows, symptoms can include: a lump in the breast that may or may not be tender and/or an enlarged lymph nodes under the arm that may feel hard and have uneven edges but typically does not hurt.

A woman may also notice changes in the size, shape or feel of the breast such as an indentation of the nipple or a fluid discharge from the nipple; or redness or dimpling of the skin.

Men can get breast cancer yet women are 100% more likely to get cancer of the breast than men. In a man, symptoms will likely present as a breast lump, pain and tenderness.

The cause of cancer in the breast is unknown but the risk increases with a family history of this type of cancer, in women who have not had children; or in women who reached their menstrual cycle before age 12 or went through menopause after age 55.

Some cancers of the breast are sensitive to the hormone estrogen, that means estrogen causes tumors of the breast to grow. These estrogen sensitive cancers are called 'estrogen receptor positive cancer' or 'ER positive cancer'.

Breast Cancer Diagnosis And Treatment

Monthly self-exams of the breasts should be performed to detect any changes early. A baseline mammogram is recommended by age 35, then follow-ups every 2 years up to age 49, then every year after age 50. If a lesion is detected, a biopsy (tissue sample) may be needed to make an accurate diagnosis. Other tests that may be performed to formulate a proper diagnosis include an MRI, CT Scan, Breast Ultrasound or PET Scan.

Treatment is based on many factors including the type of cancer and the stage the cancer is in (stages range from (0 to IV). Surgery to remove the lump (lumpectomy) or to remove all or part of the breast and possibly nearby structures such as lymph nodes and muscle tissue (mastectomy) is the recommended treatment. Other treatment options include chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

The experimental drug, tamoxifen, is currently being studied to determine if it can prevent cancer of the breast. This drug blocks the effects of estrogen which can promote the growth of cancer cells in women with estrogen-sensitive breast cancer. A newer class of medicines called aromatase inhibitors, have shown good results in post-menopausal women with breast cancer.

The first signs of cervical cancer - Section of Medical Sciences

The cervix is ​​part of the female reproductive system. It 's the narrow base of the uterus that connects the uterus to the vagina. Dilates during labor and the fetus moves from uterus to the vagina.

The first signs of cervical cancer:

The development of signs of cervical cancer occurs very gradually over a period of several years. The cells of the cervix to change from normal to abnormal during the course. Change of this anomaly isfirst indication of the cervix. cancer anomaly in the surface cells of the cervix may be of different types, including:

Dysplasia: This is a term used to refer to an anomaly in the pathology of aging cells in tissues. In general, increased immature cells and a corresponding reduction in the number and location of mature cells. In cervical cancer this is only in the mucosal surface, but do not invade through the basement membrane to reach the deepesttissues. Why is it called "epithelial dysplasia.

squamous intraepithelial lesions: the cervix is composed of squamous epithelial cells. Sometimes, these cells appear very atypical under the microscope. This condition is known as squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL). This can be low-grade SIL in which abnormal cells is smaller and the cells appear almost normal, or high-grade SIL may be that the abnormal cells is very mature. This sign indicates a high risk of cervical cancercancer, sometimes referred to as "carcinoma in situ '

cervical cancer pre-changes usually produces no symptoms and therefore are not detected unless the Pap test is performed with a pelvic exam.

PAP: PAP tests are the best screening technique for evaluation of cervical cells. These test results can be classified into five classes, indicating the presence of cancerous and precancerous cells in the cervix.

Class I: This shows thatthe cells are normal and does not allow for cervical cancer at the time.
Class II indicates the presence of inflammation and irritation of the cervical cells.
Class III: This shows the true epithelial cervical dysplasia is present, which can range from mild to severe.
Class IV: This says that cervical cancer is possible, reflecting the presence of carcinoma in situ.
Class V: invasive cervical signsin this kind of results.

results of Class II and III suggest that a second opinion before rushing blindly to surgical methods. Because the cause of cervical dysplasia may be a common viral infections such as HPV (human papillomavirus), unwanted sex, spermicide lack of progesterone, estrogen, oral contraceptives, condoms or tampons.

Early cervical cancer usually causes no symptoms. Thus, in many cases remain undiagnosed. Thisfactor leading to the promotion of cancer indicated by vaginal bleeding after intercourse, pelvic pain, bleeding between periods can be harmful and dangerous, ultimately death. Because of this, women must undergo regular checks began when the first signs of minimal verification.

Therefore the knowledge of signs of cervical cancer and regular Pap tests are necessary to identify the early stages of its progress in stages to avoid dangerous.

When ovarian cancer warning signs mimic common medical conditions

Each year in the U.S., over 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 15,000 women die of this disease. These are staggering statistics, but the figures seem to be increasing from year to year, unfortunately, because women are not adequately informed about how to diagnose ovarian cancer warning signs.

The rest of this article is from a post I wrote recently on my blog. I have received positive comments about the content, because the facts are taken mainly from MayClinic and a study by the American Cancer Society - they are both very credible sources of information. So I decided I wanted to share with readers EzineArticles.

The blog entry is:

The warning signs of ovarian cancer can be difficult to detect in the early stages, because some of the most common symptoms such as indigestion and bloating may be indicative of a number of other medical conditions.

To avoiddiagnostic errors, keep in mind this simple rule:

If symptoms or signs are constant and appear to be only worse, then talk to your doctor immediately.

According Mayoclinic, recent studies show that women with ovarian cancer are more likely than other women to live in a consistent manner the following:

abdominal pressure, fullness, bloating or swelling
urinary urgency
Pelvic pain or discomfort

Other warning signs may occurthemselves in one of the following ways:

gas constant indigestion or nausea
unexplained changes in bowel habits such as constipation
Changes in bladder habits, including frequent urination
Loss of appetite or feeling full quickly
Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around the waist
Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
The constant lack of energy
Back pain
Changes in menstruation

The American Cancer Society reports that nearly 90%In a study of women who were diagnosed at an early stage, said they experienced one or more symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, pelvic or back pain. However, only 3% of women diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer reported no symptoms.

In addition, 55% of the total number of women studied had an accurate diagnosis within two months of onset of symptoms. Unfortunately, it took three to six months 19% of women, and more one year 11% of women to realize that, in fact, there were signs of ovarian cancer. In short, if the diagnosis is made, cancer has become more advanced.

In some cases, women with symptoms of delayed diagnosis of an average wait of two or three months before talking to their doctors, with 22% of women surveyed said they would ignore their symptoms, most because they were not aware of the symptoms may be due to> Cancer.

How to avoid a delay in diagnosis

It is said that prevention is better than cure, and the best thing you can do to avoid a late diagnosis is to support an annual pelvic examination. This not only confirms the common symptoms that sometimes often lead to misdiagnosis and validation of the warning signs of ovarian cancer, but rather a mindset that will help you live longer.

Early Signs of Cervical Cancer - Medical Science Article

The cervix is a part of female reproductive system. It is the narrow base of the uterus which connects the uterus with the vagina. During labor it dilates and the fetus passes from uterus to the vagina.

Early Cervical Cancer Signs:

The development of signs of cervical cancer takes place very gradually over a period of several years. The cells on the cervix change from normal to abnormal during this course. This change to abnormality is the first indication of cervical cancer. The abnormality of cells on surface of cervix can be of different types which include:

Dysplasia: This is a term used in pathology to refer an abnormality in maturation of cells in tissue. Usually it is increase in immature cells and corresponding decrease in number and location of mature cells. In cervix cancer this occurs only in the mucosal surface but does not invade through basement membrane to reach the deeper tissues. Hence it is called 'Epithelial dysplasia'.

Squamous intraepithelial lesions: The cervix is made up of squamous epithelial cells. Sometimes these cells appear very atypical under microscope. This condition is called squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL). This can be either low-grade SIL where the abnormality of cells is less and cells appear almost normal or else it can be high-grade SIL where the abnormality of cells is very mature. This sign indicates high risk of cervix cancer and sometimes referred to as 'carcinoma insitu'

Pre cancerous changes of cervix don't usually produce symptoms and thus remain undetected unless a PAP test is performed along with pelvic exam.

PAP test: PAP smears are best screening technique for evaluating the cells on the cervix. These test results which can be categorized into 5 classes, indicate the presence of cancerous and precancerous cells in cervix.

Class I: This depicts that the cells are normal and no scope of cervical cancer at present.
Class II: It indicates presence of inflammation and irritation of cervical cells.
Class III: This shows that true cervical epithelial dysplasia is present which can range from mild to severe.
Class IV: This says that cervical cancer is most possible as it reflects the presence of carcinoma insitu.
Class V: Invasive cervical signs are present in this class of results.

Class II and Class III results suggest taking a second opinion before blindly rushing to surgical methods. Because the cause of cervical dysplasia can be more common one like viral infection by HPV( Human papilloma virus), unwanted sex, progesterone deficiency spermicide, estrogen dominance, oral contraceptives, tampons or condoms.

Normally early cervix cancer doesn't produce any signs. So, in many cases it remains undiagnosed. This factor leads to advancement of cancer indicated by vaginal bleeding after intercourse, pelvic pain, bleeding between periods which may become harmful and finally to fatally dangerous. Because of this the women are advised to undergo regular checkups starting when slightest of signs first occur.

So the knowledge on the signs of cervical cancer and regular PAP tests are needed to identify it at early stages preventing its progress to perilous stages.