Cancer Archive

Peptic Ulcer Disease

Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:

• Do you have diffuse or localized abdominal pain?
• Does the pain ever travel to the back or chest?
• Do you have nausea associated with the pain?
• Does eating make the pain better or worse?
• Do you have black or bloody stools?
• Do you ever vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds?
• Do you take any medications (for example, pain relievers)?
• Do you smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol?
• Do you drink caffeine-containing beverages?
• Have you ever been tested or treated for a bacteria called H. pylori that can infect the stomach lining?
• Do you have a family history of peptic ulcer disease?

Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:

• Careful abdominal exam
• Rectal exam

Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:

• Stool testing for blood
• Blood or breath test for the presence of H. pylori
• Upper endoscopy (internal examination of esophagus, stomach, and duodenum)
• Upper GI series

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:

• Do you have pain or cramping in the lower stomach?
• How often do you get the pain?
• Is the pain related to meals?
• Do you suffer from constipation and small bowel movements?
• Do you have diarrhea that alternates with constipation?
• Do you have frequent bloating and gas?
• Do you have a feeling of fullness in the rectum?
• Is there a family history of inflammatory bowel disease?
• Do you have a history of mental illness or depression?
• Are there any things causing unusual stress in your life?
• Please describe your diet in detail.

Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:

• Careful abdominal exam
• Rectal exam

Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:

• Stool testing for blood and cultures
• Conventional abdominal X-rays
• Endoscopy or sigmoidoscopy
• Barium enema
• Complete blood count and other blood tests

Multiple Myeloma

Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:

• Have you had any recent infections?
• Do you know when to call your doctor with symptoms of infection?
• Do you have pain in any of your bones? If so, is it constant, or does it occur only when you move?
• Have you had any recent fractures?
• Do you have pain in your spine? Does it radiate to another part of your body?
• Have you noticed a decrease in sensation or strength in your hands or feet?
• Have you had loss of bladder or bowel control?
• Do you know when to seek medical attention for back pain?
• Have you been fatigued?
• Have you been lightheaded?
• Have you been short of breath with minimal exertion?
• Do your gums bleed when you brush your teeth?
• Do you bruise easily, or get nosebleeds?
• Have you been weak, nauseated, constipated, or confused?
• Have you had a headache or a change in your vision?
• Can you feel any lumps or masses under your skin?
• Are you aware of the possible complications that can develop from multiple myeloma?
• Do you know which symptoms should cause you to call your doctor?

Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:

• Skin
• Heart
• Lungs
• Arms and legs
• Spine
• Neurology examination (to check for strength and sensation in your hands and feet)
• Lymph nodes (neck, axilla, and groin)

Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:

• Blood tests for complete blood count, electrolytes, kidney function, uric acid, calcium, and beta-2 microglobulin
• Serum protein electrophoresis or SPEP
• Urine protein electrophoresis or UPEP
• Quantitative immunoglobulin levels in the urine and blood
• Immunoelectrophoresis
• 24-hour urine collection for protein
• Bone marrow biopsy
• Skeletal radiographs
• CT scan
• MRI scan

Studies show smoking high-tar unfiltered cigarettes, as opposed to medium-tar filtered cigarettes, greatly increases your risk of lung cancer. So, cigarettes labeled as low-tar or ultra light are an even safer choice, right? Wrong. A study comparing the lung cancer risks of different types of cigarettes found this seemingly logical assumption is false.

The study six years and involved over 900,000 Americans over the age of 30. The researchers compared the risk of death from lung cancer among men and women who were smokers, former smokers, or had never smoked. When analyzed according to the tar rating of cigarette smoked, the results of the study showed the risk of lung cancer death was greatest for smokers of high-tar unfiltered cigarettes. The risk of lung cancer death was no different among smokers of medium-, low-, and very low-tar cigarettes.

Hard to detect and quick to spread, pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest of cancers. Scientists hope that genetic research will make it more like other cancers-a treatable disease. But even if it's caught while confined to the pancreas-and it rarely is-just 16% of patients are alive five years after the initial diagnosis. By comparison, the five-year survival rate for localized breast cancer is 86%. If the cancer has spread beyond the pancreas, the likelihood of living another five years is just 2%. Only the statistics for liver cancer are as grim.

Fortunately, pancreatic cancer is uncommon compared with other major cancers. About 50,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in the United States, in contrast to about 250,000 new cases of breast cancer, and 225,000 new cases of lung cancer. But because it's so untreatable, pancreatic cancer causes about 40,000 deaths each year. It is the 4^th leading cause of cancer death.

We can thank the Greeks for the name doctors apply to male hormones. Androgen comes from the words meaning "man-maker," and it's a well-chosen term. Testosterone is the most potent androgen, and it does make the man. It's responsible for the deep voice, increased muscle mass, and strong bones that characterize the gender, and it also stimulates the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow.

In addition, testosterone has crucial, if incompletely understood, effects on male behavior. It contributes to aggression, and it's essential for the libido or sex drive, as well as for normal erections and sexual performance. Testosterone stimulates the growth of the genitals at puberty, and it is one of the factors required for sperm production throughout adult life.

Ovarian cancer has long been called a "silent killer," because symptoms are thought to develop only after the disease has reached an advanced stage and is largely incurable. But health experts have identified a set of physical complaints that often occur in women who have ovarian cancer and may be early warning signs. These symptoms are very common, and most women with them do not have ovarian cancer. But for the women who do, the hope is that greater awareness will lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Four symptoms are more likely to occur in women with ovarian cancer than in women in the general population. These symptoms are bloating or increased abdominal size; pelvic or abdominal pain; difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary frequency or urgency.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent bouts of constipation, diarrhea, or both, as well as abdominal pain, bloating, and gas. IBS is a functional disorder, which means that it's not attributable, as far as we know, to any underlying disease process or structural abnormality. It's thought to involve various, often interacting, factors — infection, faulty brain-gut communication, heightened pain sensitivity, hormones, allergies, and emotional stress.

The good news is that IBS doesn't increase the risk for more serious conditions, such as ulcerative colitis or colon cancer. On the other hand, a disorder resulting in (at best) annoying and (at worst) debilitating and worrisome symptoms with no known cause can be difficult to diagnose and treat, not to mention live with. Managing IBS typically involves some trial and error, which can be challenging for patients and clinicians alike. Various tests or procedures may be ordered to rule out other conditions. Many diverse therapies, not all of them proven, are used in treating the symptoms, including antibiotics, antispasmodics, antidepressants, dietary changes, relaxation techniques, and psychotherapy, as well as drugs to relieve constipation and diarrhea.

Dr. Robert S. Stern, chair of the Department of Dermatology at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , calls them "solar-phobes": people so concerned about getting skin cancer that they stay inside or cover every bit of skin. "They cover up like they were going out into the Arabian Desert ," he says. The marketing of ultrablocking sunscreens and special sun-protective clothing plays into these fears.

There's no getting around the fact that sunlight is hard on your skin. Age gets blamed for wrinkles and rough, dry skin. But the real culprit is a combination of age and sun that dermatologists call photoaging. The short UVB wavelengths that cause sunburn can also damage DNA and suppress the skin's immune system. The longer, more penetrating UVA wavelengths may create highly reactive oxygen molecules capable of damaging skin cell membranes and the DNA inside.

Electroacupuncture may be an effective alternative to medication for relieving hot flashes causing sleep disturbances in postmenopausal women.