News and Articles on Health. Medical research topics.

Cancer is a dreaded disease, which is a major cause of death of human in the modern world. It is characterized by the uncontrolled multiplication  and growth of cells. It may develop in any part of the body in all types of living organisms.

Cancer is not a contagious disease. Cancer results from the breakdown of regulatory mechanism, which controls the normal cell behaviour. Cancerous cells are called malignant neoplasm. They directly affects the normal activities of other cells. They compete with normal cells for nutritional factors and finally destroy them. The cancerous cells may group together in masses to form tumors.

It is very difficult to say the exact cause of cancer in human beings. It is assumed that it is caused by the interaction of many factors and it may be the result of a chain of events. We have not been able to find the complete chain of events. We know some agents causes cancer. The agents which can cause cancers are called as carcinogens. Important carcinogens are:

• Chemicals and radioactive rays

They cause alteration in the genetic materia l(DNA) resulting in the oncogenic transformations that lead to cancer. A number of chemicals that are known to make cancer. They include certain polycyclic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, byproduct of combustion of fossil fuels, alkaloids like nicotine, caffeine, some steroid etc. Expoure to UV rays , X rays and various radioactive elements may produce cancer.

• Tumour promoters

Some cells which had undergone genetic alternations are responsible for oncogenic transformations. These substances that promote the proliferation of this type of cells are called tumour promoters. Some growth factors and hormones are tumour promoters.

• Smoking and tobacco chewing

Heavy smoking is the major cause of lung cancer.

• Virus

It is supposed  some viruses such as DNA and RNA viruses induces cancers in human beings. These viruses are called oncogenic viruses.

Normally cells grow under the control of some regulatory genes. Changes in these genes causes oncogenic transformations.

• Spreading of cancers

Cancerous growth starts at one location where cells proliferate to give rise to a mass of cells forming the tumour. Sometimes they may be detached and carried by the blood to the other parts of the body and spread in the new locations.

• Diagnosis

Cancer occurs at all ages in human. Early diagnosis and adequate treatment is essential for controlling this diseases. A painless lump or thickening in any part of the body , a sudden change in the size and colour of the wart,  persistent cough,  persistent digestive problems, excessive bleeding in women, sudden weight of body weight etc are some suspected features of cancers.

Various methods employed for diagnosis of cancer are..

1. It can be done by studying the characteristic histological features of malignant cells.
2. Blood test for abnormal WBC and bone marrow biopsy can be used.
3. X rays, CT scan and MRI scan can be used to detect cancers of internal organs like kidney, pancreas etc..

Treatment of cancer

Since cancer is not a single diseases and can caused by different ways an absolute single cure is not possible. Nowadays cancer treatment can be done in four different ways.

Surgery

When the cancer is concentrated  at a particular location, the part is removed by surgery. It is an easiest method. After surgery it cannot be ensure that all the cancer cells have been removed. Some tumours cannot be accessible for surgerical removal.

Radiation therapy.

In this method by focusing radioactive rays in the cancerous region, the cancerous cells can be destroyed. However this approach cause tremendous damage to the nearby tissues.

Chemotherapy

In this method several chemotherapeutic drugs are used to kill tumour cells. But it has many side effects

These are some treatments against cancer. Hope that we will remove this disease from our world shortly.

Inflammatory breast cancer, or IBC, is an accelerated type of breast cancer, which usually cannot be detected by ultrasound or mammogram. It is a relatively rare form of cancer, which accounts for about 1 to 3 percent of all cancers of the breast. One of the signs of this type of breast cancer is that the affected breast becomes inflamed and swollen. This occurs because the lymphatic cells that exist under the breast’s skin get blocked by the cancer cells. This results in the lymph flow blockage, which leads to the inflamed redness, also known as mastitis, which characterizes IBC.

The Symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer are:

• Breast pain. Since IBC is often mistaken for an infection of the breast, it is treated with antibiotics. Hence, if the inflammation does not subside after a week, you need to either get a referral to a breast cancer specialist or ask for a breast biopsy.

• Breast becoming red. Inflammatory breast cancer’s most distinctive characteristic is the redness, which can involve either the whole or part of the breast. Sometimes the redness may come and go.

• Warmth of the breast. The redness may also be accompanied by the area becoming warm.

• Changes of skin in the breast area. The redness on the breast, often is also accompanied by the skin getting the thickness and texture of an orange peel, also referred to as peau d’orange.

• A bruise forming on the breast that does not go away.

• Retraction of the nipple or discharge from it.

• Itching sensation of the breast.

• The breast suddenly swelling up.

• The lymph nodes in the neck or under the arm swelling up.

• Around 50 percent of women afflicted with IBC also have a mass or a lump in their breast, but it usually cannot be detected during breast examination because the breast often becomes harder and larger than normal.

These symptoms usually occur very quickly, within a period of mere weeks.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer Diagnosis

As has been explained, the nature of the symptoms of IBC makes it very hard to diagnose accurately. Because of the rarity of the disease, many medical practitioners generally do not come across it. Besides, compared to other forms of breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer has not been studied quite as much. Usually, when the breast gets swollen or red, an infection is commonly the cause; hence doctors diagnose it as such at first. However, infections usually have a cause, for example breast-feeding, and they subside with adequate antibiotic treatment, however, IBC, is not responsive to antibiotics.

Inflammatory breast cancer is diagnosed primarily by conducting a physical examination, although ultrasound, breast MRI, or mammogram may also be used sometimes. A biopsy is usually used to confirm the diagnosis. However, there are cases when a biopsy of IBC comes back clear, although the swelling and the redness worsen. Hence, as is evident, it can be very tricky to get a confirmed and accurate diagnosis.