Wednesday, June 10, 2009

How to Detect Your Breast Cancer

The main effective method to fight breast cancer is to detect it early. Breast self-examination might be of assistance, though the most effective tools to detect breast cancer are mammography and clinical breast exam by your health professional. Actually, women who carry out habitual breast self-exams find 90% of all breast masses.

Women who decide to perform BSE should have their BSE method reviewed in their physical exam by a health professional. It is all right for women to select not to perform BSE or not to do it on a customary agenda. Nevertheless, by performing the exam on a regular basis, you get to know how your breasts generally look and feel, and you could more willingly detect any signs or symptoms if a alteration happens, like growth of a lump or swelling, skin irritation or dimpling, nipple pain or retraction (turning inward), redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin, or a release other than breast milk.

Breast self-exams, long promoted as necessary for early breast cancer detection, are currently deemed not obligatory. What's pressured nowadays is its awareness, which engages being conversant in the common consistency of your breasts and the primary tissue.
Breast self-exams play a part to a great extent to its awareness, teaching you how your breasts vary in sensitivity and texture at various times throughout your menstrual cycle and several stages of life. This sense of what's typical is recognized as breast familiarity.
To get the greatest advantage from regular breast self-exams, ask your doctor to evaluate your method at your next health check.
Breast self-exams alone don't lessen the figure of deaths from breast cancer. Hence combine self-exams with clinical exams and mammography, to diminish the risk of the disease. Breast self-exams possess the potential simply to detect and treat a cancerous breast lump whereas it's still small and in an early stage of improvement.

Having a mammogram plays a main role in early detection. Employing a mammogram, your doctor could detect breast cancer almost one to three years prior to you may essentially feel a lump in your breast A mammogram could be utilized either for screening or for diagnostic intentions. How frequently you ought to have a mammogram relies on your age and your risk of the disease.

A mammogram is the most effectual method to discover breast cancer early, up to 2 years prior to the lump is even outsized enough to suffer. A mammogram is a unusual type of X-ray of your breasts. The amount of radiation employed in the X-ray is extremely small and not damaging.
Mammograms detect cancer since cancer is denser than the common part of the breast. A radiologist will observe the X-rays for signs of cancer or other problems.

Early Symptoms of Breast Cancer

The reason why many breast cancer patients detect their health condition too late is because they can't feel any pain. As it becomes worse, some of the symptoms of breast cancer become apparent. If the symptoms are too obvious, you need to consult a doctor right away. Several tests are conducted to determine if a certain individual has the illness.

The most common symptoms of breast cancer are the following:

1. Very evident change in the size and shape of the breasts

2. Mass or lump found in armpits

3. The lump or mass is generally painless and firm but with no distinct borders; when touched, the lump or mass feels hard

4. Abnormal nipple discharge; the discharge appears like pus, yellow fluid, bloody, or greenish

5. The nipple changes in appearance, there are itchy sensations, or the nipple becomes retracted

6. Breast pain or discomfort and enlargement but usually on one side of the breast only

7. The nipple's skin, the breast, or areola changes in color or feel; the veins are more accentuated and there is redness or scaly appearance; the breast is puckered or dimpled

8. The late stages include symptoms like bone pain, weight loss, arm swelling, and skin ulceration

Some people hardly even know that they are already experiencing the breast cancer symptoms. A breast that itches frequently or feels hot/warm when touched are considered dangerous and rare symptoms of the disease.

Inflammatory breast cancer is dangerous and many individuals discover this disease too late. Mammogram or self exams usually don't detect this condition. Check if your breast is reddish in appearance because this is the very evident symptom of inflammatory cancer of the breast.

There are also women who mistake the orange peel appearance around their breast as cellulites and they are quite embarrassed to consult a doctor. If this is the case, you should not hesitate to visit your doctor right away.

The breasts usually become tender and increase a bit in size during menstruation. However, if the change in size happened in between menstruation periods, a visit to the hospital or clinic will do you good.

Women are not the only ones at risk but also men. Every year, more than 1600 men are diagnosed with breast cancer. The symptoms experienced by men include a lump, breast swelling and that of the nipples or chest wall, nipple discharge, the nipple becomes inverted, puckering or dimpling of the breast skin, and the breast skin appears dry, scaly, and reddish.

The ones mentioned above are the common symptoms of the disease. Again, take note that some of the symptoms are not evident especially during the early stages. It is advised that both men and women conduct self exams to determine if there are mass or lumps around the breast area. This is one of the best ways to detect the possibility of having the disease.

Early Detection of Breast Cancer Recurrence

Breast cancer could recur at whatever time, but the majority of recurrences happen in the first three to five years following first treatment. Breast cancer could reappear as a local recurrence (in the treated breast or near the mastectomy scar) or as a far-away recurrence anywhere else in the body. The most usual locations of recurrence consist of the lymph nodes, the bones, liver, or lungs.

Women who have been treated for breast cancer must keep on practicing breast self-examination, checking both the treated organ and the other breast every month. A woman is supposed to convey any alterations to her doctor without delay. Breast alterations that may be a sign of a recurrence take in:
- A part that is definitely different from any other part on either breast
- A lump or thickening, in or near the breast or in the underarm, that persists by way of the menstrual cycle
- A alteration in the size, shape, or contour of the breast
- A mass or lump, which might feel as small as a pea
- A marble-like part beneath the skin
- A alteration in the feel or appearance of the skin on the breast or nipple
- Bloody or clear fluid discharge from the nipples
- Redness of the skin on the breast or nipple

A recurrence of non-invasive breast cancer is less critical than a recurrence of invasive cancer. Generally, invasive local recurrences are more aggressive because they have a second possibility of extending (metastasizing) to other organs of the body.

Breast cancer could reappear in the following ways:
- Local recurrence happens in the breast where the cancer first begun, or in the skin and underlying tissues where the breast used to be. This kind of recurrence could occur even if you've had a mastectomy.
- Regional recurrence takes place in the lymph nodes near the affected breast. These "regional" lymph nodes contain nodes found under the arm (axillary nodes) and in the chest wall, for example those under the breastbone or under the pectoral muscle at the front of the chest.
- Metastatic recurrence happens in other areas of the body, like in the lung, liver, bone, or brain

If you have been detected with breast cancer, you and your doctor should make a decision on a course of treatment. First treatment (surgery to remove the tumor and any lymph nodes where the cancer may have extended) might be complemented by other therapies, when suitable. Other therapies consist of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy to decrease the risk of cancer recurring.

Common Cancer Causes and Symptoms

Cancer causes and symptoms vary with each type of cancer. The causes of cancer may never be known but in other cases it can be pinpointed to the patient's life style or behavior. A smoker with lung cancer has an obvious cause of the disease, but someone who has never smoked and has no other risk factors for lung cancer can still develop this disease.

Cancer can occur for many different reasons. Those with one of the following risk factors may be more susceptible to getting cancer. Uses of alcohol and tobacco products are two of the major risk factors for cancer. Other risk factors include diet, family history, and pollution. One's occupation and environment can give them a higher risk factor of having cancer too. Causes and symptoms should be discussed with a physician when a patient has any of these risk factor especially family history.

Cancer can produce a variety of symptoms and signs. Many signs of cancer are not noticed or shrugged off as a common aches and pains until it becomes unbearable or produces other symptoms. The on set of cancer symptoms will depend upon the location and size of the cancer tissue. Cancer in the brain can be the size of a pin and cause major signs and symptoms. Other forms of cancer such as pancreatic cancer have to grow large and invade the space of other organs and tissues before symptoms are noticed by the patient.

The earlier cancer can be identified and treated the better the outcome for the patient's recovery. In cases like pancreatic cancer it is often detected once the cancer is already in advance stages. Warning signs of cancer should not be ignored. The following symptoms should be discussed with your doctor as soon as possible so that cancer can be ruled out or detected early. Some of the typical signs are unexplained weight loss, fatigue, pain and even fever. You should also be concerned it you have long term changes in your stool such as diarrhea or constipation, skin changes like jaundice, sore that will not heal or excessive hair growth. If you have painful urination, difficulty urinating or blood in your urine you should also explore the causes with your doctor. One of the most obvious symptoms of cancer is unusual lumps or formations under the skin. Since signs and symptoms of cancer in its early stages can be very minor any changes in your normal behavior or health should be discussed with your physician.

It is important to be aware of your body. It is also important to be aware of your own risk factors for cancer. Always contact your physician so that you can receive the earliest treatment possible. It is very important to know your risk factor and reduce as many as possible.

Breast Cancer Treatment Options and Information

when faced with a diagnosis of breast cancer, treatment options are a lifeline and offer hope for a future. Ongoing research has expanded breast cancer treatment options to include a variety of effective, life-saving therapies. The most effective treatment(s) for you depends on a number of factors. Most important is the type and stage of cancer, which is as distinctive as you are. Once this has been determined, explore all of the breast cancer treatment options available before deciding which are best for you.

While there are a variety of treatments available, each falls into one of two categories - local and systemic. Local treatments are those which destroy or remove cancer cells from a specific area of the body. Systemic treatments go beyond a localized area and fight cancer cells throughout the entire body. These treatments may be used alone, but are often used together in various combinations. Let's take a closer look at the treatments in each of these categories and how they are used.

Local Treatments

Surgery:
Surgery is typically the first local breast cancer treatment used. Surgical procedures are Lumpectomy - the removal of the lump or tumor only. A small amount of tissue around the tumor is usually removed as well. Generally, a lumpectomy is performed when the cancer is found early, the lump is small and in only one part of the breast. Mastectomy - removal of the entire breast. This procedure is usually performed when cancer cells have spread throughout the breast or into other areas of the body.

Radiation:
Another local breast cancer treatment, radiation often follows a lumpectomy or mastectomy. It's used to target a specific area and designed to destroy any remaining cancer cells left after surgery. A typical course of treatment is five days a week for up to seven weeks.

Systemic Treatments:
Systemic treatments destroy cancer cells throughout the body by traveling through the bloodstream. These treatments are used to get rid of cancer cells that may have spread from the original tumor location to another part of the body. Different therapies may be used to accomplish this.

Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy is simply the use of drugs to fight cancer cells. There are many different chemotherapy drugs available that may be used alone or in combination depending on the type of cancer. Treatment time frames vary from drug to drug. Some are given daily for a short period of time, while others are given weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly over a period of time.

Hormone Therapy:
In some types of cancers, hormones actually help the cancer cells grow. These are known as hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers. The goal of hormone therapy is to keep these hormones from getting to cancer cells. This is done by

1. reducing the amount of estrogen in the body and
2. stopping the estrogen from working.

This therapy doesn't work with cancers that are not affected by hormones.

Targeted Therapies:
Targeted therapies are newer breast cancer treatment options. They are drugs that can be combined with chemotherapy to fight a specific characteristic of a cancer cell. For example, a drug that targets a specific protein in a cancer cell may be used to stop the cell from growing. New and promising targeted therapies continue to evolve.

While this is not an all-inclusive list of breast cancer treatment options, it does include the most widely-used treatments available today. If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, learn as much as you can about available treatment options including clinical trials. The more you know, the better equipped you are to select treatments that will work best for you.

Breast Cancer Symptoms

Every year, more women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Statistics show that on the average, 1 out of 8 women can have the illness. The good news, however, is that it can actually be treated. At present, there are significantly more breast cancer survivors than there were 10 or 20 years ago. Aside from medical breakthrough, the reason for this increase is early detection. As soon as we see any of the breast cancer symptoms, we should seek medical help immediately.

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is the uncontrollable or abnormal growth of cells in the breast. When cell growth can no longer be controlled, the cells spread and affect other healthy cells. It may start at the lobules, ducts, or tissues and vessels in the breast. Basically this is how breast cancer cells behave.

The problem is, not all breast cancers are easy to detect. Of course, if you have any of the risk factors of breast cancer, then you will most likely develop the illness. But even so, there is no hard and fast rule with regard to breast cancer symptoms. Feeling pain in the breast may not necessarily be cancer. Some tumors, although apparent, are actually benign or harmless. On the other hand, a simple rash may be cancer. Nonetheless, it is still wise to at least be familiar with the symptoms just in case the tumors are evident.

What are the breast cancer symptoms?

Every woman knows how a breast should normally look like. Breasts should be its usual size, contour and color, free of any distortion or swelling. Here are the things to watch out for:

- Lump, thickening or mass that you may feel when you gently press your fingers flat on the breast surface. This is detected during a breast exam.

- Swelling or redness or change in color of the breast.

- Change in the shape, or distortion of the breast, or if a breast grows noticeably bigger than the other. It is not necessary that breasts be perfectly symmetrical, but if you notice one breast grows larger over a period of time, then it is time to see a doctor.

- Dimpling or ridges on the skin, as well as rash or scaled skin.

- Inverted nipple or that which is pushed inward or has changed position.

- Nipple discharge, whether colorless, milky, yellow or blood discharge.

Men can also have breast cancer, although rarely. The symptoms are the same as that for women. Other symptoms for male breast cancer are nipple pain, nipple and areola sores and enlarged lymph nodes.

If you see any of the symptoms, see your doctor immediately.

What screening tests are available?

It is advised for women from age 20 up to do a monthly personal breast check. Once this practice becomes habitual, you will become more familiar with your breasts, making the symptoms more obvious if they arise. Consult a doctor for the proper procedure of breast inspection, or you can visit websites which feature the steps to a breast examination. If you are not sure of how to do the exam yourself, you can undergo a clinical breast exam. Here, the doctor does the checking for you. A doctor can find lumps that you may miss during a self-exam.

Apart from self-examination, women are also advised to undergo screening tests such as mammograms to know if you have cancer, even if the symptoms are not present. Mammography is a procedure to detect or screen as well as diagnose cancer, if symptoms are present. There are two types of mammograms: screening and diagnostic. Women at age 40 are advised to take mammograms annually. Other screening tests such as MRI scanning and ultrasound may also be taken, depending on the age and risk factors, and upon the doctor's advice.

So the next time you do a breast self-exam, or just stare at your breasts, you know what your breasts should and shouldn't look like. Once a symptom is noticeable, it's time to see a doctor. Do not be afraid to do so, because, sooner or later, you will still need to see one, but better make it sooner before it's too late. Knowing the breast cancer symptoms can actually save you, as cancer can be cured if detected early.

Breast Cancer Symptoms and Treatment

Breast cancer is a cancer of both men and women. But in case of men, it is less common than women. Cancer grows in the cells of the breast and it develops uncontrollably and spreads to other parts of the body. If cancer occurs in cells of breast, one will feel a lump at a self-examination test. In the earlier stage, it is difficult to feel the lump and so in the initial stage no symptoms occur. A mammogram can detect the primary symptoms of breast cancer by detecting lump of the cancer cells and differentiate the malignant tumors from benign breast conditions.

Breast cancer is a metastatic disease as it can spread beyond the original organ. Bone, liver, lung and brain are the more common sites of metastasis and different symptoms occur in this stage.

Symptoms of Breast Cancer:

In a self-examining test, one can feel and see the following symptoms of breast cancer
• Swelling or lump (mass) in the breast
• Swelling in the armpit (lymph nodes)
• Nipple discharge (clear or bloody)
• Pain in the nipple
• Inverted (retracted) nipple
• Scaly or pitted skin on nipple
• Persistent tenderness of the breast
• Unusual breast pain or discomfort

Symptoms Seen On Breast Imaging:

The following symptoms are seen on breast imaging:
• Microcalcifications in tight clusters
• Dense mass with spiky outline

Symptoms of Advanced (Metastatic) Breast Cancer:

Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. In this stage, the cancer spreads beyond the breast and underarm lymph nodes into other parts of the body.

The symptoms occur in this stage are
• Bone pain (bone metastases)
• Shortness of breath (lung metastases)
• Drop in appetite (liver metastases)
• Unintentional weight loss (liver metastases)
• Headaches, neurological pain or weakness (could be brain metastases)

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) and its Symptoms:

In inflammatory breast cancer, lump doesn't appear and in this aggressive breast cancer, the cancer cells grow in sheets instead of lumps, and it gradually invades nearby skin, like a rash.

• A sudden increase in mature breast size
• Continuous Itching in the skin of the breast that is not reduced by pills or creams
• A change in the breast skin color, resulting in pink, red, or dark-colored areas
• Breast is excessively warm to the touch, or harder or firmer than usual
• Unusual pain, which occurs out of the regular cycle
• Sometimes a change in skin texture, similar to the skin of an orange
• Breast skin ulcers

Our medical team will assist one to breast cancer treatments in India at Apollo Hospitals. One will get free consultation with cancer specialists as well no waiting periods under the guidance of our medical team. Besides, one can do medical treatments in India at an affordable price under the umbrella of our medical team.

Prostate Cancer Early Detection

If you are a male above the age of 40, you should be worried about prostate cancer. But it's not just enough to be worried - you should be on the watch out for it and do all you can to detect it in good time, before it spreads unnoticed to the rest of your body.

Did you just tell yourself that it might not ever affect you? If yes, then you have just lied to yourself. You see, no male is spared from this condition because it affects about 1 out of every six men, especially men above the ages of 40 and especially African American men.

So - whether you are an African American or not, you should be worried and do all you can to prevent and/or treat it in good time, before it becomes life threatening.

Also, whether or not you notice any signs and symptoms of prostate cancer, you should make it a regular habit of always going for the tests to be sure there's no cancer in your prostate. You can make it a habit of going for the tests at least once a year or so.

This will help you to discover the cancer in good time and work to get rid of it, before it spreads. Yes, with prostate cancer, it's true that "early detection can save your life", as it has saved the lives of lots of people all over the world.

More so, it's a good tip to learn from other prostate cancer survivors. They do have a story to tell that will help you also survive the condition. After all, didn't they say "birds of the same feather flock together?" If you want to survive the condition, then hang around those who have survived it and this alone can help you survive it too.

Risk Factors of Breast Cancer

The risk of breast cancer rises as women get older. Over the years, examiners have recognized particular characteristics, typically called risk factors, which affect a woman's possibility of getting the disease. Even now, a lot of women who grow the disease have no known threat factors other than growing older, and a lot of women with known risk factors do not grow breast cancer.


There are various types of risk factors. A number of factors, such as a person's age or race, couldn't be altered. Others are connected to cancer-causing factors in the environment. At rest others are linked individual behaviors, like smoking, drinking, and diet. A number of factors affect danger more than others, and your risk for breast cancer could alter over time, because of factors like aging or lifestyle.


Even though a lot of risk factors might add to your possibility of developing the disease it is not yet known precisely how some of these factors lead to cells to become cancerous. Hormones look to play a part in a lot of cases of breast cancer but just how this occurs is not completely understood.

Recently published research demonstrates that a woman's risk of developing breast cancer is affected by breast density and whether she has utilized hormone therapy as well; including these additional risk factors in a breast cancer risk assessment tool may raise its correctness, but examiners still require authenticating these additional factors with data from independent studies.


We know that a woman who has suffered the disease has an increased risk of getting it in the other breast. Your specialist understands that too and will keep a close eye on you. If you do get the disease in the other breast it ought to be picked up promptly. You will have a number of protections against getting another breast cancer if you are taking hormone therapy to lower the risk of your disease coming back. The hormone treatment tamoxifen lowers the danger of getting another breast cancer by 40% as well.

Understanding Breast Cancer

It seems as though many times when we are hit with a piece of bad news our minds go into a state of frenzy and we really can't think straight. Finding out you have breast cancer is no different. You'll hear so many words and phrases and opinions that your head will spin. I'm going to try and break it down into simple terms so you can begin to understand why you have it, and how you can get rid of it.

There always seems to be this feeling that your breast cancer is some alien entity that has invaded your body. It is a thing unto itself, and if it can be destroyed, all will be well within you. Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth. The cancer is a part of your body and it didn't invade from somewhere else. It grew inside you because the environment was right for it to do so. More often than not, it is you who created this cancer-friendly environment and you who can change it.

When really understanding breast cancer, we have to realize that there are underlying causes for its existence. You may have a weakened immune system. You may be overloaded with toxins. You may have a highly acidic pH. You may have low levels of cellular oxygen. You may be exposed to estrogen mimicking chemicals in your personal care products. You may have a severe vitamin D deficiency. You may be chronically dehydrated. Most likely it is a combination of factors that led to your breast cancer. But a combination you can reverse if you take immediate action.
If you created the environment and cancer is thriving there, it only stands to reason that you can change it to an environment where cancer can't survive, doesn't it? Conventional medicine will tell you these claims are unfounded and not scientifically sound. But they'll also start chopping off your body parts at the drop of a hat, too.

There is ever-increasing evidence that natural breast cancer treatments are effective and can gently reverse the condition inside your body. The main thing is to educate yourself and make a decision that's right for you.

Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a common form of the disease that often manifests itself in older men. There is no exact age, but from 50 years onwards you may begin to exhibit some symptoms, and if you do, what are symptoms of prostate cancer telling you to do?... to go and see your doctor at the very earliest opportunity.The bad news about prostate cancer is that it is indeed cancer; the good news is that it is eminently curable (above 90%) if it is discovered in its early stages, before it spreads outward from the prostate, after which the survival rate falls alarmingly.


Normally, healthy cells divide, multiply, and die under controlled circumstances. It is part of life's body ritual. But when the cell growth expands in an uncontrolled rate and they don't die off, this is the beginning of cancerous growth. But with early diagnosis, radiation therapy, or surgery, can cure prostate cancer in 90% or more of cases. So, the important thing is to make an early diagnosis possible by being alert in spotting the symptoms. The purpose of this brief article is to make you aware exactly what symptoms to look out for so you can go and check with your doctor at once.


These symptoms may not mean you have prostate cancer; they could just be the result of normal prostate enlargement, as often found in older men. But get it checked out early. It could save your life.Here are the symptoms to look out for: Needing to urinate often (especially at night); Having to rush to get to the toilet (getting caught short); Waiting for the flow of urine to start (hesitancy); Having to force the flow; Weak flow; Feeling that you still need to go after the flow stops. But please remember that these symptoms may not prove you have cancer, (it may be totally benign prostate enlargement), but see your doctor anyway just to make certain.

Causes of Breast Cancer

The precise cause or causes of breast cancer remain unknown. While we do not yet know precisely what causes breast cancer we do understand that definite risk factors are connected to the disease. A risk factor is something that has an effect on a person's possibility of getting a disease like cancer.

Different cancers contain different risk factors. A number of risk factors, like smoking, drinking, and diet are connected to matters a person does. Others, such as a person's age, race, or family history, can't be altered. But risk factors don't inform us the whole thing. Having a risk factor, or even some, doesn't signify that a person will get the disease. A number of women who have one or more risk factors never suffer breast cancer.

The risk of breast cancer rises with age. For instance, yearly breast cancer rates are 8-fold higher in women who are 50 years old, vis-à-vis women who are 30. The majority breast cancers (roughly 80%) grow in women over the age of 50. In one age group (40 to 45 years), it is positioned first amongst the entire causes of death in women. It is unusual in women younger than 35, with the exception of those who have a family record of the disease.

In the majority cases, it isn't obvious what causes normal breast cells to turn out to be cancerous. Doctors do understand that merely 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancers are hereditary. Families that do have genetic defects in one of two genes, breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) or gene 2 (BRCA2), possess a much greater risk of growing both breast and ovarian cancer.

Examiners are at present attempting to find out whether a connection is real between a person's genetic structure and environmental factors that might augment the risk of breast cancer. It ultimately might show to have many causes.

Treatments For Prostate Cancer

When it comes to prostate cancer the personal decision of the patient is truly important; the doctors can advise and recommend therapies and treatments, but it's the patient's preference, combined with the severity of the problem that make a difference. Let's see what are the treatments for prostate cancer.Depending on the case and the stage of the illness, prostate cancer can be divided in to the not spread cancer (not metastatic) and the spread cancer. The localized cancer, has not extended outside the prostate, allowing the doctors and patients to choose from many different options; the most common treatment options are radiations, surgery and brachytherapy.


In some cases, when there are chances for neoplasmatic alienations but not developed cancer, some doctors choose to monitor the evolvement and process of the disease, rather than act drastically right away.The metastatic cancer, or spread cancer is a different case and highly personalized. If the cancer has spread to other organs and especially to lymph nodes or the bones, then the treatment options might be limited; depending again on the particular case, there might be options that could stand a comparable chance of curing the disease. Advanced prostate cancer is usually treated with radiation or chemotherapy.


In some cases hormone therapy is also recommended, but it's a rather lighter method of treatment, appropriate to those who do not have a metastatic cancer. Chemotherapy is the most attacking and harsh method of treatment, but it's the method with the highest percentage of success in advanced cancers. Radiation therapies are given five days a week, usually for four to eight weeks depending on the severity of the case. Each treatment usually lasts for ten to fifteen minutes and is done without any anesthesia. Some people lately tend to turn to alternative medicine as well; acupuncture, hypnosis, phytotherapy and complementary medicine, especially at the first stages of the disease.

Cause of Prostate Cancer

What exactly causes cells to turn cancerous is unknown. Even with smoking, why do some people get lung cancer while others do not? However, we can certainly point to factors that increase one's risks. Risk factors are related to age, lifestyle, whether there is a family history of cancer, diet, race and even some medications. The greatest of these is age. Seventy years old is the average age at which it is diagnosed. Prostate cancer diagnoses prior to the age of 50 are rare and diagnoses under 45 are almost unheard of.

With that said, it is not uncommon for men to die without ever knowing that they have cancer. In a 2005 analysis of autopsies conducted in six countries world wide (Sweden, China, Germany, Uganda, Israel and Jamaica) in 2005, it was found that in men who died of causes other than prostate cancer, fully 80% of men aged 70 or older were shown to have cancer of the prostate, 30% for men in their fifties.

In the area of diet; animal fat and high blood levels of trans fat acids from hydrogenated vegetable oils are suspected contributors, as is a low level of Vitamin E, which indicates a low intake of green vegetables, and vitamin D, which indicates too little time in the sun.
There is some evidence that regular intake anti-inflammatories (ASA, Naproxen, Ibuprofen) decreases the risk of contracting prostate cancer, as may statins, which are drugs used to lower cholesterol levels. Obesity and/or high levels of testosterone increase the risk of cancer. High levels of herbicide exposure are a suspected accelerant.
Rates for prostate cancer vary greatly, country-by-country. It was previously thought that this was due to lifestyle and diet variations between cultures - rates are lowest in Asia, her in Europe and highest in North America. However, the previously mentioned study that indicates many men have the disease and die without knowing it requires follow-up study to determine to what extent the lower Asian rates are due to lower incidence of detection rather than absence.

The Prevention of Prostate Cancer

Only you can answer the question, What is the prevention of prostate cancer worth to me? But before you answer, you need to understand that statistics on prostate cancer may, in fact, underestimate the prevalence of the disease by a huge factor.

If you are a man, you should know what you can do to prevent prostate cancer while you are still young, because by the time you get it (usually between the ages of 50 and 70), it's too late.

The American Cancer Society believes that a quarter of a million new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year. The disease kills over 30,000 men in the United States every year. You should also understand that statistics on the prevalence of prostate cancer may underestimate the prevalence of the disease by a huge factor. In 2005 a study was released based on autopsies done on over a thousand men 70 years of age or over in six different countries. Of those who died of some cause other than cancer, 80% had undiagnosed prostate cancer. So the question: What is the prevention of prostate cancer worth to me?

Is it worth reducing the amount of trans-fat in your diet? That means not using cheap hydrogenated vegetable oil for cooking. Are your testes worth that? How about animal fat? You'll have to trim off the fat on those ribs steaks and buy lean hamburger.And what about leafy green vegetables? Is your life or manhood worth eating lettuce or broccoli? No? How about taking Vitamin E supplements? You can handle that? Great. And Vitamin D - the vitamin you get from sunlight. More time in the bleachers at Wrigley instead of under the canopy. Could you handle that for the sake of ten more years with your loved ones, when you're old and retired and have nothing to do but what you want? If you can handle the above, you're preventing Prostate cancer, you health nut, you.

The Prevention of Prostate Cancer

Only you can answer the question, What is the prevention of prostate cancer worth to me? But before you answer, you need to understand that statistics on prostate cancer may, in fact, underestimate the prevalence of the disease by a huge factor.

If you are a man, you should know what you can do to prevent prostate cancer while you are still young, because by the time you get it (usually between the ages of 50 and 70), it's too late.

The American Cancer Society believes that a quarter of a million new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year. The disease kills over 30,000 men in the United States every year. You should also understand that statistics on the prevalence of prostate cancer may underestimate the prevalence of the disease by a huge factor. In 2005 a study was released based on autopsies done on over a thousand men 70 years of age or over in six different countries. Of those who died of some cause other than cancer, 80% had undiagnosed prostate cancer. So the question: What is the prevention of prostate cancer worth to me?

Is it worth reducing the amount of trans-fat in your diet? That means not using cheap hydrogenated vegetable oil for cooking. Are your testes worth that? How about animal fat? You'll have to trim off the fat on those ribs steaks and buy lean hamburger.And what about leafy green vegetables? Is your life or manhood worth eating lettuce or broccoli? No? How about taking Vitamin E supplements? You can handle that? Great. And Vitamin D - the vitamin you get from sunlight. More time in the bleachers at Wrigley instead of under the canopy. Could you handle that for the sake of ten more years with your loved ones, when you're old and retired and have nothing to do but what you want? If you can handle the above, you're preventing Prostate cancer, you health nut, you.