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De-mystifying Cancer by Stuart Wolfe

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accurate evaluation of the presence of tumors and the extent of the

spread of disease.

Stool DNA testing: Pre-malignant adenomas and cancers do not

degrade during the digestion process and remain stable even in the

stool. Such testing, in combination with Polymerase Chain

Reaction, can help to detect the presence of colon cancer with a

high rate of accuracy.

Treatment of Colorectal Cancer in Men

Colorectal cancer is sometimes curable in the early stages. Chances

of a successful cure diminish in the more advanced stages of colon

cancer.

Common treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, and

radiotherapy. Doctors advise these treatments individually or as a

combination according to the degree and the progress of the cancer.

Surgery: Colorectal cancer could require palliative, curative,

bypass, fecal diversion or ‘open and close’ surgery according to

location of tumor.

In very early stages, polyps may be removes through surgical

techniques. In advanced cases, it is necessary to remove a section

of the colon that contains the tumor to reduce the possibility and

extent of recurrence.

Curative surgery involves total mesorectal excision.

Palliative surgery can prevent further morbidity due to bleeding of

tumor and its effects. Doctors prefer a proximal fecal diversion

through bypass surgery if the tumor affects other adjacent organs in

the vicinity.

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If it is a serious and very advanced stage of colorectal cancer,

doctors remove the colon through open and close surgery.

Laparoscopic-assisted surgery can reduce size of incision and

thereby minimize risks of infection.

Chemotherapy: This can shrink the tumor or slow its growth. This

is the primary form of therapy if colon cancer is in the initial stages.

Doctors may also advise this form of treatment after surgery.

Radiation therapy: This is not commonly used with colon cancer.

It might cause radiation enteritis. It is sometimes used to reduce

pain and if the tumor perforates the colon.

There are various support therapies to aid treatment of colorectal

cancer. These include counseling through cancer support groups,

social support groups etc.

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Part-IV: The Top Three Cancer Killers in Women

12. Lung Cancer in Women

Lung cancer is a major cause of death in women. Although it is the

second most common cancer after breast cancer, it causes more

deaths in women than the other cancers, like ovarian cancer and

breast cancer, put together.

Lung cancer has been steadily increasing in women while lung

cancer in men has registered a decline over the years.

Causes for Lung Cancer in Women

Lung cancer in women is believed to mostly be due to smoking

which is showing an alarmingly increasing trend among females.

Women start smoking in their teens. There are around more than

500,000 teenage girls in the USA using tobacco products.

A major attraction towards smoking is the belief that smoking can

control weight. There are many advertisements that cater to this

belief too.

These advertisements use the approach that smoking can boost

your confidence, show you as more independent and boost your

circle of friends.

Smoking advertisements featuring women also exudes an exclusive

sense of relaxation, pleasure, and higher social acceptability.

When you start smoking, you develop an addiction. It becomes

difficult to quit smoking, although it is possible to do so. Women

often find it more difficult to quit smoking than men do.

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Nonsmokers and Lung Cancer in Women

Although smoking is a dominant cause for lung cancer in women,

non-smoking women also fall prey to lung cancer. This is primarily

due to passive smoking, radon gas, hormonal levels of estrogen and

certain genetic factors that cause different responses to

carcinogenic substances.

Lung cancer is reaching alarming levels in women and is sometimes

more severe than in men.

Detection of Lung Cancer in Women

Although women normally undergo chest x-rays annually to detect

the presence of lung cancer, these tests do not always deliver

effective results.

X-rays cannot detect small tumors and there are sometimes some

mis-interpretation of x-ray findings.

A lung-cancer screening technique using a CT scanner delivers

better results in detecting cancer. Such scans present a three-

dimensional picture of your lungs and indicate the exact location

and presence of all internal organs.

This scan can detect very minute tumors and, therefore, detect

malignancy in its early stages.

Effect of Lung Cancer in Women

Although lung cancer is a common disease in men and women, it

may assume greater significance in women, due to biological and

genetic differences between males and females.

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These differences include:

Women have high levels of estrogen. Smoking causes serious

changes in these levels. This affects the growth of cancer cells in a

woman.

The genetic make-up of a woman is more susceptible to harmful

effects of tobacco smoke. Changes in their genetic build-up may

mean that their body is unable to control unwanted cell growth. This

might lead to uninhibited growth of cancerous cells.

The metabolism of tobacco products and chemicals present in them

are different in men and women. A woman’s body is less able to

repair damaged DNA, which is a major cause for lung cancer in

women.

But, women seem to show a higher rate of survival with lung cancer

than men do.

Effects of Quitting Smoking and Lung Cancer in Women

The best way to escape from lung cancer is to quit smoking. This act

can sometimes produce goods results including:

Pulse rate and blood pressure register high levels during smoking.

When women quit, these may register a sharp fall and start

dropping, even returning to normal levels with some people.

Carbon monoxide levels in the blood remain very high in women

smokers. These carcinogen levels often drop after they quit

smoking.

You become more energetic within few weeks of quitting smoking.

Nerve endings start growing and therefore, your sense of taste and

smell improves.

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Within a year of quitting smoking, you may feel a marked change in

any breathlessness, cough or tiredness that you were having, as

you are able to breathe in and better process more oxygen.

If you stay smoke-free for five years, your risks of developing

mouth, esophageal or bladder cancer and lung infections like

pneumonia and bronchitis could fall by more than fifty percent.

The levels could be similar to those of a nonsmoker after ten to

fifteen years of nonsmoking. You reduce changes of strokes, heart

ailments, and premature death by around fifty to seventy percent.

Survival Rates of Lung Cancer in Women

As in any disease, early detection of symptoms of lung cancer can

yield positive results of a longer and more comfortable future.

Patients survive up to about five years at the time of writing though

there are promising signs of improved treatments in current

research.

The main cause for this is the low rate of early detection. Lung

cancer does not show any early warning signs. Often, incessant

cough, chest pain, or wheezing come to the fore after the disease

spreads extensively.

The best way is to not smoke. If you already have developed an

addiction to smoking, it is best to quit immediately.

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Breast Cancer in Women

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women

and the second most common cause for death in women in the

United States.

Many men also suffer this disease.

This starts as a lump in your breast or there could be changes in the

structure of your breast. This type of cancer is more prevalent in

white women with a lesser incidence in Asian and African women.

Anatomy of the Breast

Each breast is on chest muscles covering your ribs. There are

around fifteen to twenty lobes in each breast. These contain smaller

lobules, which contain many small milk-producing glands. Milk flows

through lobules and ducts to nipples.

The dark area around the nipple is the areola. Breasts

have many lymph vessels with small round shaped

organs called lymph nodes. There are groups of such

lymph nodes in the underarm, chest, collarbone and

other body parts. These lymph nodes arrest bacteria,

some cancer cells and other harmful substances.

Start of Breast Cancer

The breast and every body part consist of tiny cells. These cells,

grow, divide and die on their own. New cells form when your body

needs them.

Cells follow specific patterns. However, sometimes this orderly

arrangement changes. New cells form when there is no need and

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old cells do not die. The process of growth continues more rapidly

than there is a need. Extra cells clump together to form a tumor.

Tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors are harmless

and it is possible to remove them. They do not usually grow again.

Malignant tumors cause a lot of harm. The cells of these tumors

damage nearby organs and tissues. These cells continue to grow.

Although it is possible to remove these tumors, they often grow

again soon.

Sometimes, cancerous cells break away from their original lump and

start forming lumps in other body parts. Breast cancer cells can

spread to any part of the body.

Symptoms of Breast Cancer in Women

Common symptoms of breast cancer include:

• Change in size or shape of breast like nipple turning inward

• Swelling of breast or breast skin turning reddish

• Scaly and swollen nipples or development of tenderness in

nipples

• Formation of lump in breast or near the underarm

• Pain in the breasts

Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Women

There is no specific, known cause of breast cancer. However, there

are certain risk factors that could possibly encourage the start of

breast cancer.

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These include:

Family History: If any of your family members or paternal or

maternal relations have breast cancer, there is a possibility of you

having it too. If a family member develops breast cancer before the

age of forty, your risk may be higher.

Age: The risk for breast cancer may increase with age. Women over

the age of sixty face a higher risk of developing breast cancer. If

you develop cancer in one breast, there is a stronger possibility of

developing it in the other too.

Genetic Causes: Changes in specific genes like BRCA2, BRCA1 and

others could increase breast cancer risks.

Menstrual History: Women having their first menstrual period

before the age of twelve may have a higher than average risk of

breast cancer.

Women entering menopause after fifty-five also develop a higher

risk for breast cancer.

Conceiving the first child after the age of thirty can prove risky.

Women without any children show a higher rate of breast cancer.

Women on estrogen and progestin therapy after menopause may

have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Other Factors: If you undergo radiation therapy for any reason,

you may face a higher risk of breast cancer in later life.

Excessive weight gain after menopause could increase chances of

breast cancer.

Women with dense breast tissues may be more likely to develop

breast cancer.

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Lack of physical activity could increase the chance of breast cancer

too.

Some researchers believe that excessive intake of alcohol may be a

factor in some cases of breast cancer.

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Screening to Detect Breast Cancer

Early detection of breast cancer can help you secure remedial

measures in the early stages.

Breast cancer screening can be through regular screening

mammogram (an x-ray picture of your breasts), clinical breast

examination and self-examination of breasts.

You should have mammograms every one or two

years if you are in your forties. This may show a breast

lump even before you can feel it. Such lumps may or

may not be cancerous, but further detailed tests like

biopsy can determine abnormalities.

Clinical breast examination takes around ten

minutes and a professional health care provider can check your

breasts for any abnormalities. Such checking involves looking for

dimpling, rashes or any abnormalities in your breasts.

Additionally, health care providers also check under your arms for

enlargement of any lymph nodes.

Self-examination of breasts is a good way to check for breast

cancer. However, there can be small changes in your breasts due to

aging, before and during menstrual periods, menopause, birth

control treatments and others natural reasons.

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Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Doctors prescribe detailed screening, mammograms and other

imaging procedures to detect the presence of breast cancer.

If there were lumps in your breasts, doctors would try to feel its size

and texture. Benign lumps move easily while cancerous lumps are

usually hard and may have odd shapes.

Ultrasound imaging is another technique of diagnosing breast

cancer. Waves from ultrasound devices bounce off tissues. The

computer uses echoes to create a picture. This shows if lumps are

solid or filled with fluid. Solid masses of lumps may be cancerous.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) makes detailed pictures of breast

tissue using magnets. These produce more detailed results and help

diagnosis too.

A biopsy involves removing small pieces of suspected tissue from

your breasts to conduct detailed microscopic examination. Doctors

prescribe additional tests if your biopsy tests are positive. These

tests can help doctors determine the stage of your breast cancer.

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Treatment Options for Breast Cancer in Women

Before starting treatments for your breast cancer, you can get a

second opinion and then decide on the most suitable treatment

options.

Common treatment options include chemotherapy, surgery,

radiation therapy, biological therapy and hormone therapy.

Often, it is necessary to have a combination of treatments rather

than a single type of treatment.

Surgery

Surgery is among the most common forms of treatment for breast

cancer.

Breast sparing surgery is where doctors remove cancerous cells

through surgical methods without removing the breast. They make

incisions to remove the whole lump or make a separate incision at

the lymph nodes to remove cancerous cells from the lymphatic

system.

Radiation therapy is often used as a follow-up treatment.

Mastectomy surgery involves removal of the infected breast.

Doctors also remove lymph nodes from underneath the arm.

Radiation therapy is a follow-up treatment.

You may choose to have breast reconstruction, a plastic surgery to

rebuild and reshape your breast.

Breast removal surgery may cause some imbalance and discomfort

in your neck and back. Surgery often causes tenderness and pain.

You can take pain relievers to control your pain. Other side effects

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of surgery include tingling and numbness in underarm, chest, upper

arm and shoulder.

Although most such effects go away after few months, numbness

does not go away in some cases.

Radiation therapy: This treatment option uses high-energy rays to

kill cancerous cells. Doctors normally prescribe this treatment after

performing surgery for breast cancer. The amount of radiation

therapy depends on the spread of cancer within your body. This

therapy can destroy any remaining cancerous cells in your breast.

Radiation therapy can be external radiation or internal radiation.

External radiation is through outside machines. You need to go to

hospital for a specific number of days to receive treatment.

Internal radiation is through implanting of plastic tubes with

radioactive substance in your breast. You need hospitalization while

you have these implants within your body.

Normally, such therapy extends for many days. Then, the doctors

remove the implants and allow you to go home.

Common side effects of radiation therapy are heavy breasts,

tenderness, itchiness in the area and redness and dryness.

Wear loose clothing initially to help your wounds heal well. Although

it is necessary to remain active during radiation therapy, you will

feel very tired and exhausted.

Chemotherapy: This treatment option uses a combination of drugs

to kill cancerous cells. Doctors either inject these drugs

intravenously or prescribe pills. According to the severity of breast

cancer, you can have chemotherapy treatment at home, as an

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outpatient or under hospitalization. Drugs travel throughout your

body in your blood. Therefore, you feel exhausted, bleed or bruise

easily and may develop infections.

Common side-effects of chemotherapy include hair loss, nausea,

vomiting, lack of appetite, diarrhea and mouth and lip sores.

Some cancer drugs could initiate menopause, causing vaginal

dryness, hot flashes and permanent infertility too.

In some cases, you could become fertile during chemotherapy

treatment.

Hormone therapy: This curative therapy prevents cancerous cells

from gaining access to certain natural hormones like progesterone

and estrogen they require for growing and developing within your

breast.

Doctors use drugs like estradiol, tamoxifen and others to prevent

your ovaries from making estrogen. Doctors could also remove your

ovaries surgically to prevent supply of such hormones to cancerous

cells within your breast.

Common side effects of hormone therapy include hot flashes,

vaginal discharge, headaches, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, irritation of

skin around vagina, irregular menstrual periods and skin rash.

Biological therapy: This therapy involves strengthening the

immune system to fight cancer. Doctors use Herceptin through the

patient’s veins. Common side effects include pain, vomiting,

weakness, diarrhea, nausea, rashes, breathing problems.

In some cases, there may be some damage to the heart.

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Colorectal Cancer in Women

Many women may believe colorectal cancer to be a man’s disease

and do not pay attention to any possible symptoms.

The truth is that colorectal cancer can affect women too. One in

every seventeen women in the United States could develop

colorectal cancer.

The risk increases with age. Women over sixty-five are equally

susceptible to breast cancer and colorectal cancer.

Women often express greater concern for breast cancer and are

ready to undergo screening tests for it. It is equally important to

understand that colorectal cancer can also prove to be a major

health concern for women and not only men.

Colorectal Cancer

This is cancer of the colon. Certain body cells in the colon do not

function normally. They divide very fast and produce excessive

tissue which accumulates as a tumor.

The colon and rectum together complete the process of digestion.