Archive for May, 2008

Gum disease, such as periodontis or gingivitis, is associated with increased concentrations of inflammatory markers in the blood.

To explore the potential association between gum disease and cancer, Dr. Dominique Michaud, Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues began a study of male health professionals aged 40-75 years in 1986. Questionnaires were sent to the living participants every two years, and dietary questionnaires were sent every four years.

The data collected through these surveys included: baseline gum disease, bone loss, the number of natural teeth, tooth loss, smoking history, food intake, and any cancer diagnoses. The data were examined for the overall cancer risk and compared to individual cancers, and more than 100 cases were documented.

Patients with a history of gum disease, in comparison with those without a history of gum disease, had an increased risk of cancer in certain specific sites as well, including: 36% increased in the lung, 49% increased in the kidney, 54% increased in the pancreas, and 30% increased in hematological cancers.

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that carrying a common genetic disorder doubles the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers.

Researchers found that the genetic disorder, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (α1ATD), could explain up to about 12 percent of lung cancer patients in this study and likely represents the same widespread risk in the general population.

A normal α1AT gene produces a protein that stops enzymes from breaking down elastin, which keeps lung tissue elastic for normal function. Carriers of? 1ATD commonly develop emphysema and/or chronic obstructiveaCarriers of pulmonary disease (COPD). Prior to this study, the connection between α1ATD, COPD and lung cancer risk had not been established.

All α1ATD gene carriers were at a similarly greater risk of developing lung cancer, regardless of smoking status. Those who had never smoked were at a 2.2-fold higher risk; light smokers had a twofold greater risk; and moderate to heavy smokers had a 2.3-fold increased risk.

Although the study helps explain why people who have never smoked can develop lung cancer, it doesn’t mean that people who don’t have the gene won’t develop lung cancer. “Smoking remains the overwhelming risk factor for lung cancer development.”

The larynx cancer is also called as laryngeal cancer. Any part of your larynx can be affected.

Glottis is the place where larynx cancer begins.

The cells that line larynx inner walls are called as squamous cells.

The laryngeal cancer begins in the squamous cells, so the cancer is called as squamous cell carcinoma.

The larynx cancer spreads to the back side of your tongue, lungs, throat, neck, lymph nodes of neck and other parts.

Risk factor of larynx cancer: The exact cause of this cancer is not known. From certain studies it has found that you can affect with certain risk factors that include:

Age: It occurs over the age of 55 in most of the people.

Gender: Men are at higher risk of getting this cancer than women.

Race: It is observed in American and Africans than the Whites.

Smoking: The smokers are at higher risk than the non-smokers. There can be a chance of getting cancer in the neck and head of the person who have larynx cancer, even if they stop smoking.

The larynx cancer symptoms depend up on the area and the tumor size. The other symptoms are:

If you are exposed to the sun’s rays that are chronic, then squamous cell skin cancer can occur.

Tumors can be found on your sun-exposed neck, hands, bald scalp, face, arms, back and shoulders.

The lower lip and ear rim are mostly affected by this cancer.

The squamous cell skin cancer also occurs when you have an injury on your skin, exposure to x-rays, burns, long standing sore, certain chemicals or scars.

Risk of squamous cell skin cancer is due to history of exposure to sun. But the potential of the cancer is increased by the genetic and environmental factors.

Sun exposure: 90% of the skin cancers are due to the exposure to the sunlight. Risk for skin cancer development depends on the out door working. If you spend most of the time in tanning booth and live in places where the intensity of the sunlight is more (Australia), it will increase the UV rays exposure.

Skin type: If you are having the fair skin, gray, blue, green eyes and light hair, then the risk for this disease is high. Dark-skinned Africans, Hispanics and Asians have less risk than the Caucasians to the cancer development.

Are you at risk of melanoma skin cancer? Melanoma skin cancer should be treated immediately; otherwise it can lead to death.

Melanoma is originated from the melanocytes cells which are a malignant tumor. These cells are responsible for the production of the melanin pigment that gives color to the hair, eyes and skin.

Risk for melanoma skin cancer:

Every one is at risk of getting this skin cancer. Some of the risk factors are:

Skin type: People with fairer skin are at higher risk of getting this disease.

Moles: The normal moles that are small grow to brown blemishes or “beauty marks” that appears in the first few years of life.

The typical moles can also cause cancer. Apart from the types, the number of moles can increase the risk of melanoma.

Sun exposure: Both UVA and UVB rays are harmful to the skin and cause skin cancer. Sun burns and blistering also increase the risk in childhood.

People living in places like Australia, Hawaii and Florida that get more sunlight can get more skin cancer. Avoid tanning bed or tanning booth as they can expose to the UV rays that can lead to the skin cancer and melanoma.

Find more about breast cancer, history of breast cancer and if you are at risk for the disease or not.

As you all know, breast cancer is a cancer of the breast tissue.

This is a devastating disease taking several lives of wives, sisters and mothers, your loved ones or people whom you know either closely or distantly.

In order to fight this disease, awareness has to be made to each woman with respect to whether they are at risk or not, if yes then how it can be prevented.

Women without any risk for the disease should also have awareness in order to stay away from it.

Worldwide, it is the most common form of cancer in females - affecting at some time in their lives, women who reach age ninety in the Western world. Since the 1970s, after lung cancer it is the second most fatal cancer in women and the number of cases has significantly increased, a phenomenon partly blamed on modern lifestyles in the Western world.

Surprised! Breast cancer can also occur in males because the breast is composed of identical tissues in males and females, although cases of male breast cancer account for less than one percent of the total.

If your child is affected by lymphoma cancer, you can treat it by certain methods which are discussed here.

Lymphoma means cancer that originated from lymphatic tissue.

In United States, 1,700 children less than 20 years are affected with lymphoma cancer.

Based on the appearance of the cancerous cells, the lymphoma cancer is of two types.

Lymphoma cancer or Hodgkin’s lymphoma is having specialized malignant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells in lymph tissue or lymph nodes. 3 out of 100,000 children of America are affected by this.

The symptoms of this disease are painless swelling in under arm, neck with lymph nodes above collar bone or groin.

Non –Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is found in 500 kids of United States. Your child can be affected before 3 years of age. It is due to the malignant growth of the lymphocytes. This growth is also observed in the leukemia form. In children, it is difficult to differentiate between leukemia and lymphoma.

Risk of lymphoma cancer in children:

Whites and children with weak immune system are mostly affected. The radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatments given to your kids to treat other cancers can lead to higher risk for developing the lymphoma cancer in your children.

Is your child facing the problem of retinoblastoma? Some information about this problem is discussed here.

You can able to know how to cure it by following certain methods of treatment.

Children are mostly affected by the retinoblastoma.

In UK, every year 40 cases diagnosed are having retinoblastoma. It occurs in children of 5 years.

Retinoblastoma is a kind of tumor that occurs in two forms: Inherited form, in which the tumors are present in one eye or both the eyes and non-inherited form, in which the tumor is present only in one eye.

Inherited retinoblastoma is caused by genetic disorder. The abnormal gene that is responsible for this disease is inherited to the child from their parent and develops as tumor in later life. This gene is called as Rb gene.

Retinoblastoma children are treated by support and genetic counseling. If your child is inherited, he should be checked for the tumor development such that they can be treated early.

Screening should be done right after birth and repeated for five years every month. The eye is examined by using the ophthalmoscope.