NanomedicineCenter.com

Signs of breast cancer

For many women probably the first symptom of breast cancer is finding a lump in one of their breasts. This, however, is not necessarily a cause for immediate alarm as around 90% of breast lumps found are benign, which means that they are non-cancerous. It is important to know, however, that this can only be ascertained by a doctor and a woman that finds a lump in her breast should seek immediate medical advice.

In general, breast cell change causing lumpiness is more obvious just prior to a period – especially in women over the age of 35 – and is normally indicative of benigness. Women might also notice such things as a change in either the size or shape of the breast or nipple, especially if the nipple sinks into the breast or takes on an irregularity of shape. Any blood-stained discharge from the nipple or any rashes either on or around the nipple should also be immediately examined by a health care professional.

Of course it is important to realize that if you have one of these signs it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have cancer, but you should seek medical advice to be on the safe side. Women should also be concerned about any swelling or lumps in the armpit region, as this can be a sign that the cancer has actually spread to the lymph nodes. There may also be changes in the skin, including dimpling of the skin along with new wrinkling.

There is also a rare type of breast cancer known as inflammatory breast cancer, and this type of cancer can present with different symptoms whereby the entire breast can present with red inflammation and may also be extremely sore – either to the touch or when left alone. The breast itself may also feel hard to the touch, with the skin sometimes resembling an orange peel due to the fact that the pores stand out where the inflammation occurs.

Also, with regards to the previously mentioned rash, this can sometimes signify another rare form of cancer when the rash presents around the nipple. This form is called Paget’s disease, and the rash is red and scaly and can also itch. On first sight, it may resemble eczema and is, in fact, sometimes at first mistaken for this.

In general terms experiencing breast pain is not something to be overly concerned about, although it may signify some other condition that requires some medical attention. A lot of perfectly healthy women find that their breasts are tender and sore during their period, and this is no further cause for concern or a mark of anything portentous as women can experience sore breasts from time to time without any sinister underlying cause. Most breast pain is not a result of cancer, however some breast cancers can cause pain so it is important to see your GP as soon as possible for a quick diagnosis. As ever, early diagnosis and treatment are the keys to a successful recovery, so medical help should be sought in case of any concerns.

Lung cancer symptoms

The symptoms of lung cancer can be many and various. Around one-fourth of those actually diagnosed with lung cancer present no symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Diagnosis and identification of the cancer normally occurs incidentally when the patient has a chest x-ray for an unrelated reason. The remaining three-fourths do develop certain commonly-known symptoms, and these are a direct result of the effects of the primary tumor as well as the effects of metastatic tumors elsewhere in the body.

Perhaps the most common – and most important – identifying symptom of lung cancer is the cough. It is, however, hard to tell such a cough related to lung cancer apart from a cough related to smoking or with chronic respiratory problems such as COPD, which also is a result of smoking. In the case of a patient with a chronic cough it is important to identify any changes in the pattern of the cough, as this could indicate the potential for lung cancer. Also, a new cough in either a smoker or an ex-smoker should also raise concerns and should be check out by a health care professional as soon as possible. This of also true of any persistent cough that does not get better over the course of time.

Another associated symptom is shortness of breath, and this also can be hard to tell apart from that related to the condition COPD as mentioned above. Again, just as in the case of coughing, any changes in the patient’s patterns of breathing difficulties should raise concerns sufficiently to ensure that a health care professional is consulted.

People should also pay attention to a symptom called hemoptysis, which involves the spitting or coughing up of blood. In the case that this symptom presents itself in someone with a history of smoking the possibility of lung cancer should be highly suspected and work and tests should be undertaken to rule the condition out.

Also, repeated respiratory infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia should be a cause for concern. In fact, in many cases pneumonia is a common way in which lung cancer makes itself known initially as the growing cancerous tumor can cause the airways to become obstructed, resulting in something known as post-operative pneumonia. In such cases it is advisable for patients to obtain repeat chest x-rays in order to ensure that the pneumonia is totally cleared.

Lung cancer may also cause fluid in the lungs if it spreads to either the inner or outer lung coverings, which causes fluid accumulation between the lung and the chest wall. In the event that this occurs the patient may well experience shortness of breath and, in the event that the cancer has entered the chest wall, patients may experience chest pain too. This should cause special red flags to physicians examining patients at high-risk of lung cancer. Patients may also experience bone and joint pain, as a result of tumors in the apex of the lung infiltrating the nearby nervous structures resulting in shoulder or arm pain.

Patients can also see changes in their voice patterns, with constant hoarseness also being a possible symptom as well as having difficulty swallowing. Patients may also experience weight loss, anemia and fatigue.

How does cancer start

It is now well known to medical science that the beginning point of all cancers is a change in either one cell or in a small group of cells. This means that, in the normal course of events, some years before a patient can even feel a lump and before a doctor or specialist is able to identify a cancer on a scan the cells themselves have already begun reproducing uncontrollably.

The cells are subject to something called mutation, in which the cancer cells appear to lose many important control systems as a result of the fact that a number of genes in the cell have been either lost or damaged and thus affect a cell’s overall operations. The genes are effectively the coded messages in a cell that instruct its behavior, directing the cell how to make different proteins. Proteins are the building blocks from which the cells are made up, with some acting in the role of switches aiding the control of cellular behavior

For example, in cellular reproduction the chain starts with a hormone signal acting on a protein whether on or actually in the cell itself. The protein subsequently sends a signal along a network of switches, and the last of these signals instructs the cell to reproduce – which it does by dividing into two. In the case of mutation a gene has been either lost or damaged, and this may result in either too much protein being produced or none at all. In specific cases proteins that operate by controlling and limiting cellular division may be permanently disabled, or a signaling protein might be permanently activated.

In terms of substances that can aid in the causing of cancer these are a number of substances currently in existence that damage cells, thereby making them more likely to become cancerous. Such substances are known as carcinogens and we can find many examples in daily life, such as cigarette smoke and other forms of pollution as well as certain fats – especially saturated fats – commonly found in fast foods.

Aging also results in the decreasing of cells’ ability to reproduce healthily, causing oxidization In terms of what types of genes make a cell cancerous there are three primary different types. The first type are oncogenes, which encourage cells to multiply or double. This would happen very occasionally in healthy adults, and cells would usually only multiply in order for damage to be repaired – after an operation or an injury, for instance. In such cases where such genes become abnormal they actually instruct the cell to multiply continuously.

The second type are called tumor suppressor genes, and these genes halt cell doubling or multiplication. It only takes one of these genes to get damaged and cease functioning for the cell to continue multiplying endlessly. As a result the cell effectively becomes immortal-and this is one of the principle properties of a cancer cell. Perhaps the most well-known tumor suppressor genes is called P53, which acts by halting the reproduction of other damaged genes as well as encouraging such genes to destroy themselves. It is known that the P53 gene is either absent or damaged in most forms of human cancer.

Finally, there are the genes that act by repairing other damaged genes, and they repair problems associated with the DNA that constitutes the cells’ genes. If these types of cells are damaged in any way it means that other cellular mutations will not be fixed and subsequently the cell can replicate its mutations to daughter cells. These repair genes have been discovered damaged in certain forms of human cancer, including bowel cancer.