A Brief Information About Mesothelioma Cancer

By: Cosmas Hino Prasetyo


What is Mesothelioma?
Most of people known that mesothelioma is an acronym of mesothelium which is thin membranes lining the chest, lungs, abdomen and sometimes the heart. Mesothelieum protects these organs with a dual layered membrane called visceral and parietal membranes which surround organs and body cavities, such as the lungs or abdomen. The visceral membrane surrounds the organ, and the parietal membrane is a sac covering the visceral membrane. There is a lubricating fluid between it that allows the organs to move. This fluid helps organs move easily between surrounding structure and reduce friction between the lung and chest wall during normal breathing.

So What Is Mesothelioma Cancer?
Mesothelioma Cancer is a form of cancer which occurs in mesothelium. This cancer cells become abnormal and replicate without control. They will invade and damage tissues and organs and spread throughout the body causing death. It metastasizes and at an advanced stage the disease reach to the other parts of the body like the lymph nodes, lungs, chest wall, or abdominal organs. Mesothelioma cancer will cause fluid to accumulate between the lung lining and the chest cavity.The Cause of Mesothelioma CancerThere are a lot of cases that indicate the cause of mesothelioma cancer but most of them are caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos can be found in insulation in many buildings. Asbestos can also be found in floor tiles, roofing, dust, rocks, cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, and textiles. Asbestos consists of fibers that can enter the body through the skin, the mouth, and, subsequently, enter the lungs, or blood stream. When a person breathes in, the fibers then travel to the ends of the narrow air passages reaching the lining of the lungs and destructing the mesothelial cells (the lining of the lung cells). If swallowed, these fibers can get in to the lining of the abdominal cavity where they play a part in causing a mesothelioma cancer.

The Patients of Mesothelioma CancerPeople in the construction jobs such as in shipyards, insulation, boilermaking, milling plants, fireproofing and heating, automotive repair, and pipefitting are at the risk of contracting mesothelioma cancer. Common cases are found from workers such as Factory workers, miners, railroad laborers, gas mask makers, insulation workers and ship builders. People who have received asbestos exposure of as little as one or two months to very low doses are at risk of mesothelioma cancer. People who wash clothes of asbestos exposed people are at risk.

The Chance of Recovery
It depends on size and location of the cancer, age of the patient and their response to the treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, the five year survival rate is about 10 percent. Most patients only survive for a year after diagnosis or 4 to 24 months from the observance of the symptoms. Some physicians find it hard to detect mesothelioma cancer because its symptoms are akin to other diseases like lung cancer and pneumonia. The average age of patients is between 50 and 70 years, three-fourths of patients diagnosed are over 65.

Three Types of Mesothelioma Cancer
Primarily, mesothelioma cancer occurs in three areas, and categorized into:

1. Pleural mesothelioma (lung cancer), mesothelioma of the membrane covers the lungs and chest cavity as well as the lungs

Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer

2. Peritoneal mesothelioma (abdomen organs), mesothelioma of the peritoneum. Peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that enfolds the organs in the abdominal cavity.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma

3. Pericardial mesothelioma, mesothelioma of the pericardium. Pericardium is the sac enclosing the heart.Symptoms of Mesothelioma CancerThe symptoms of mesothelioma cancer occur owing to the deposition of fluid in the pleura. The patient would generally feel a pain in the chest region, accompanied by shallow breathing.

Large Pericardial Effusion

The other symptoms are include : respiratory problem, continual cough and pneumonia, weight loss due to accumulation of fluid, abdominal problems and swelling of the neck or face, fever, anemia, difficulties in bowel movements, abnormalities observed during blood clots, fibrosis, pleural effusion, calcified plaques, bronchial cancer, and difficulty sleeping.

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The 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Prostate Cancer

By: Don Saunders

Prostate problems will affect ninety percent of all men by the time the reach the age of eighty and in all too many cases the problem will be that of prostate cancer. But just what is the prostate gland and what does it mean to be diagnosed with prostate cancer? Here we look at the ten questions which are most often asked by men who encounter prostate problems.

1. What is the prostate gland and what does it do?

The prostate gland is situated between the bladder and the rectum, partly surrounding the urethra which carries urine from the bladder out of the body, and forms part of the male reproductive system, making and storing fluid which forms part of a man's semen. The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut in an adult.

2. What is prostate cancer?


Prostate cancer is a form of cancer which normally appears late in life and tends to be slow growing as a result of which many men, despite having prostate cancer, in fact die of other unrelated conditions. This said, prostate cancer is the second commonest form of cancer in the United States today and in 2006 some 235,000 men were diagnosed with the disease and approximately 27,000 men died from it.

3. Who is likely to contract prostate cancer?

Men in general are at risk of contracting prostate cancer although as it is an age related disease it tends to appear only from about middle-age onwards with the risk of contracting the disease increasing with age. Prostate cancer is more likely to appear in black men and where there is a family history of the disease.

4. What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

In the early stages of the disease there are normally few if any symptoms and it is possible to suffer from prostate cancer for many years without even knowing it. When symptoms do start to appear they are likely to include such things as difficulty in urinating, the need for frequent urination (especially at the night), a poor flow or urine which tends to stop and start, painful urination, blood in the urine or semen, pain when ejaculating and pain in the lower back, hips or upper part of the thighs.

5. Are there other conditions which can mask the presence of prostate cancer?

Many older men suffer from an enlarged prostate which places pressure on both the bladder and the urethra and interferes with the flow of urine and with sexual function, producing many of the same symptoms that are seen in prostate cancer. This condition is not however cancer but is a benign condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.

It is also quite common for the prostate gland to become infected and inflamed, again producing similar symptoms, and this also benign condition is known as prostatitis.

6. Is it possible to be screened for prostate cancer?

Yes, although current screening is not foolproof. The two most commonly used screening test will indicate the possibility of a developing problem, which may or may not be cancer, and point to the need for further more specific testing.

The tests currently in use are the digital rectal exam (DRE), in which a doctor carries out an investigation of the prostate gland by feeling it with a gloved finger inserted through the rectum to detect the presence of hard or lumpy areas, and a blood test used to detect the presence of a substance which is known as prostate specific antigen (PSA) and which is made by the prostate gland.

7. How reliable are present screening methods?


Neither of the current screening tests is foolproof and both can easily miss prostate cancers. However, the two tests used together can produce quite reasonable results and are certainly preferable to not screening for the condition at all. Research is currently underway to find a more accurate method of screening.

8. How is a diagnosis of prostate cancer made?

There is really only one way to confirm the presence of prostate cancer and this is by carrying out a prostate biopsy. This involves removing a number of small samples of tissue from various different parts of the prostate gland and examining these under a microscope in the laboratory.

9. How is prostate cancer treated?

If prostate cancer is localized (that is to say confined only to the prostate gland) there are at present three main forms of treatment available.

One option is to do nothing and to simply watch and wait. If this seems an odd course of action it should be borne in mind that many prostate cancers appear at a very advanced age and, as long as the cancer remains within the prostate gland and is slow growing, the best option for an elderly patient might well be to do nothing at all.

Where active treatment is carried out this will often be to either treat the prostate gland with radiation to kill the cancer cells or to simply remove the prostate gland surgically.

In cases where cancer has spread outside of the prostate gland there are a wide range of treatment options available depending on the degree of spread. This is however a complex area and beyond the scope of this short article.

10. What is the best treatment for localized prostate cancer?

This is a bit like asking 'how long is a piece of string' as there are a large number of factors which need to be taken into consideration, not the least of which are the patient's own circumstances and wishes.

In the majority of cases however prostate cancer is slow growing and there is usually no need to rush into a treatment plan. This gives patients time to discuss their condition with their doctor, including taking a second or even third opinion if they wish, and also to discuss matters with their partner and family before making any decision.

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What Do You Eat and Drink: Diet Cancer Links

By: Susan George


Recently there has been a great awareness to the relationship between the diet we eat and cancer. This is especially important since unlike many other risk factors for cancer this is a very much controllable risk factor. Many are interested in knowing the relationship between specific foods, or nutrients, and specific types of cancers. There has been extensive research done on this topic but till this date no study provides the last word on this topic. Any new research finding has to be evaluated in the larger context of available evidence so it is not advisable that you make any diet modifications based on single studies published.

Alcohol cancer link
Findings from various research publications have established that consumption of alcoholic beverages would increase the risk of cancer. Alcohol increases the risk of development of various cancers including cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, and breast, and probably of the colon and rectum. It should be pointed out here that moderate amount of alcohol consumption has been shown to decrease the risk of having a heart attack. So it is suggested that those who are drinking alcohol should do this in moderation. It is recommended that men limit their alcohol intake to a maximum of two drinks per day and women should limit their alcohol consumption to a maximum of one drink per day. It should be mentioned that the combination of alcohol and tobacco have a much greater impact on cancer risk compared to use of one of these agents. Women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer may be suggested to abstain from drinking any alcoholic beverages.

Antioxidants and cancer protection
Some of the products of normal metabolism could have a damaging effect on the tissues and such damages could increase the risk of developing cancer. Some nutrients called antioxidants are very essential to protect the body from harmful metabolic products that are produced in the body. These antioxidants are present in various fruits and vegetables. These antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and some phytochemicals. This is consistent with the observation that people, who eat more vegetables and fruits, may have a lower risk for some types of cancer. Antioxidant supplementation has not been proven to decrease cancer risk and more studies are underway in this regard. The best advice would be to consume plenty of fruits and vegetables to decrease the risk of many cancers.


Aspartame cancer link
Aspartame is used in many of the low calorie beverages as an artificial sweetener. There has been some controversy about the risk of aspartame with regard to increasing risk of cancer but the current evidence does not support any link between aspartame consumption and increased cancer risk.

Beta-carotene and cancer protection
Beta-carotene, is an antioxidant and is chemically related to vitamin A. This antioxidant is found in abundance in vegetables and fruits. For some time scientists believed that high doses of beta-carotene supplements might reduce cancer risk. Recently published studies suggest that this may not be true. In two of these studies it was shown high dose of beta-carotene actually increases the risk of cancer and the third study found neither benefit nor harm from them. Consuming vegetables and fruits that contain beta-carotene may still be helpful, but high-dose beta-carotene supplements should not be taken.

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Liver Cancer - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

The liver is the largest internal organ in the body. It is also known as primary liver cancer or hepatoma and hepatocellular carcinoma is a cancer arising from the liver.The liver performs several vital functions. It processes and stores many of the nutrients absorbed from the intestine. It also makes some of the clotting factors needed to stop bleeding from a cut or injury. Hemangioma (he-man-ge-O-muh) is the most common type of benign liver tumor. It starts in blood vessels and Hepatic adenomas are benign tumors that start from the main type of liver cells (hepatocytes). Women have a much higher chance of having one of these tumors if they take birth control pills, although this is rare. Stopping the pills can cause the tumor to shrink. Hepatic adenomascancer begins in many spots throughout the liver and is not confined to a single tumor. This is most often seen in people with liver cirrhosis and is the most common pattern seen in the United States.

Hepatic tumors also called Liver cancer. Hepatic tumors is are tumors or growths on or in the liver. There are many forms of liver tumors premary is Malignant. Malignant, primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (also named hepatoma, which is a misnomer). These growths can be benign or malignant (cancerous). They may be discovered on medical imaging (even for a different reason than the cancer itself). Most of the time when cancer is found in the liver, it did not start there but spread to the liver from a cancer that began somewhere else in the body. These tumors are named after the place where they began (primary site) and are further described as metastatic. Symptoms can include a lump or pain on the right side of your abdomen and yellowing of the skin. However, you may not have symptoms and the cancer may not be found until it is advanced.

Some researchers believe that cancer starts with damage to DNA the material that contains the instructions for every chemical process in your body, including the rate of cellular growth. DNA damage causes changes in these instructions. Liver cancer also occurs as metastatic cancer, which happens when tumors from other parts of the body spread (metastasize) to the liver. In the liver cancer some cells begin to grow abnormally. One result is that cells may begin to grow out of control and eventually form a tumor a mass of malignant cells. In the United States, most cancer found in the liver spread there after originating elsewhere. Rather than being called liver cancer, this type of cancer in the liver is named after the organ in which it began such as metastatic colon cancer in cancer that starts in the colon and spreads to the liver.

Causes of liver Cancer

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the main causes of liver cancer. Liver cancer relates to (correlates with) the frequency of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Studies in animals also have provided that hepatitis B virus can cause liver cancer. For example, liver cancer develops in other mammals that are naturally infected with hepatitis B virus-related viruses. Finally, by infecting transgenic mice with certain parts of the hepatitis B virus, scientists caused liver cancer to develop in mice that do not usually develop liver cancer.

Metastatic Liver Cancer

Symptoms of liver cancer
Liver cancer is very common larges countries in world wide. Generally is discovered at a very advanced stage of cancer disease for several reasons. In addition, patients from these regions actually have more aggressive liver cancer disease. live cancer tumor usually reaches an advanced stage and causes symptoms more rapidly. Abdominal pain is the most common symptom of liver cancer and usually signifies a very large tumor or widespread involvement of the liver and other symptom is weight loss. These symptoms are less common in individuals with liver cancer in the U.S.an additionally symptoms is ascites (abdominal fluid and swelling), jaundice (yellow color of the skin), or muscle wasting.

Treatment of liver cancer

The treatment of liver cancer is overall condition of the patient. First treatment if liver cancer is Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is anot effective not some cases of liver cancer but type of chemotherapy is known as chemoembolization is an important part of treatment for HCC. chemoembolization causes many of the same side effects as other forms of chemotherapy, including abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Second treatment is surgery. Surgery is best treatment for localized resectable cancer is usually an operation known as surgical resection. In some cases, the area of the liver where the cancer is found can be completely removed. Alcohol injection has been shown to improve survival in people with small hepatocellular tumors. It may also be used to help reduce symptoms in cases of metastatic liver cancer. The most common side effect is leaking of alcohol onto the liver or into the abdominal cavity.

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Advice On Hair Loss Associated With Chemotherapy

Hair loss during chemotherapy can be devastating to many people's view of themselves and result in loss of confidence and motivation. Considering the literal life and death aspects of chemotherapy as cancer treatment, the loss of some of your hair logically should be a minor issue. However, as humans we don't always think very logically, and the emotional impact can be immense as it brings home the battle inside to a very real outside manifestation of illness.

Both men and women fear the chemotherapy induced hair loss as one of the worst side effects of treatment for them emotionally. Whether you hair will fall out, and to what extent it does, depends to a great extent on the type of medication and dosage of the medications that your treatment requires. Unfortunately, it is a frequent side effect of such treatments.

In a general sense the reason it occurs is similar to the same reason that chemotherapy can be effective in the treatment of cancer. The drugs attack rapidly growing cells which includes both cancer cells and the type cells involved in hair growth. The loss of hair is most often temporary and hair will grow again once the chemotherapy has been completed. Your hair will begin to grow again about one to two months after the end of chemotherapy, though the initial color and texture may be different than before.

Hair loss during chemotherapy is not always avoidable, but there are a variety of methods which can assist in coping with the situation. Minoxidil (Rogaine being the best known trade name) does not stop hair loss, but there is some indication that it can slow down the hair loss, and regrowing the hair can occur at a quicker rate. Another more radical procedure is the application of ice packs to the scalp during chemotherapy to slow the blood flow and try to cut down on the damage to the area. There is some indication that this works to some degree in many patients, but it can be uncomfortable, and may have an increased risk of cancer in the scalp for the same reason that it reduces the initial hair loss from the chemotherapy.

You can lessen the visual impact of hair loss during chemotherapy treatments on your life by thinking ahead. Before beginning treatments, you should not do anything that could cause damage to your hair, such as coloring, bleaching or any other chemical process. Try to think ahead and decide if you are going to want to wear a wig during your treatments, or if you are simply going to cut your hair short or if you want to go ahead and shave your hair prior to treatment.

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Kidney Cancer - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Kidneys are part of the urinary tract. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs about the same size as a fist. They are located near the middle of the back, one on either side of the spine. Urine collects in a hollow space (renal pelvis) in the middle of each kidney. They make urine by removing wastes and extra water from the blood. It passes from the renal pelvis into the bladder through a tube called a ureter. Urine leaves the body through another tube (the urethra). The kidneys are part of the body system called the urinary system.

It is made up the Kidneys, Ureters,Bladder,Prostate (in men) and Urethra.The kidneys filter the blood. As the blood passes through the kidneys, waste products and unneeded water are collected and turned into urine. The urine is gathered in an area called the renal pelvis at the centre of each kidney. From here it drains into the bladder down a tube called the ureter. There are 2 ureters one from each kidney. Another tube called the urethra carries the urine from the bladder out of the body.

Kidney cancer most happens in people over 40. Risk factors include smoking, having certain genetic conditions and misusing pain medicines for a long time. Each kidney has about 1 million nephrons. Inside the nephrons, waste products in the blood move across from the bloodstream (the capillaries) into the urine-carrying tubes inside the nephron. These tubes are called tubules. As the blood passes through the blood vessels of the nephron, all unwanted waste is taken away. Any chemicals needed by the body are kept or returned to the bloodstream by the nephrons. In this way, the kidney helps to regulate the levels of chemicals in the blood such as sodium and potassium. So the right levels are maintained to keep the body healthy.


Causes of Kidney Cancer

Kidneys is a part of urinary system, which removes waste and excess fluid and electrolytes from your blood, controls the production of red blood cells. Different cancers have different risk factors. First is Cigarette smoking increases the risk of getting kidney cancer by about 40%. Cigarette smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop kidney cancer. Second is overweight person has a much higher risk of getting kidney cancer and last is job increases the risk of kidney cancer.others risk factors is High blood pressureand some Medicines, such as pain-reliever (phenacetin).

Symptoms of Kidney Cancer

Common symptoms of kidney cancer include is Blood in the urine (making the urine slightly rusty to deep red) ,Pain in the side that does not go away ,A lump or mass in the side or the abdomen ,Weight loss ,Fever ,Feeling very tired and Fatigue.

Treatment of Kidney Cancer

Surgery is the standard treatment for contained kidney cancer. Arterial embolization is a type of local therapy that shrinks the tumor. Sometimes it is done before an operation to make surgery easier.Biologic therapies are used more frequently. Biological therapy uses the body’s natural ability (immune system) to fight cancer. It uses substances that travel through the bloodstream, reaching and affecting cells all over the body. Radiation and chemotherapy are not very effective in treating kidney cancer. Chemotherapy is also a type of systemic therapy. Medications such as alpha-interferon and interleukin-2 (IL-2) have been successful in reducing the growth of some renal cell carcinomas, including some with metastasis.

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Breast Cancer - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) growth that begins in the tissues of the breast. Over the course of a lifetime, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer of the breast tissue, which can occur in both women and men. Breast cancer may be one of the oldest known forms of cancer tumors in humans.Worldwide, breast cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death (after lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer). Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. Today, breast cancer, like other forms of cancer, is considered to be a result of damage to DNA. How this mechanism may occur comes from several known or hypothesized factors (such as exposure to ionizing radiation, or viral mutagenesis). Some factors lead to an increased rate of mutation (exposure to estrogens) and decreased repair (the BRCA1, BRCA2 and p53) genes. Alcohol generally appears to increase the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer can also occur in men, although it rarely does. Experts predict 178,000 women and 2,000 men will develop breast cancer in the United States. There are several different types of breast cancer. First is Ductal carcinoma begins in the cells lining the ducts that bring milk to the nipple and accounts for more than 75% of breast cancers. Second is Lobular carcinoma begins in the milk-secreting glands of the breast but is otherwise fairly similar in its behavior to ductal carcinoma. Other varieties of breast cancer can arise from the skin, fat, connective tissues, and other cells present in the breast. Some women have what is known as HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2, short for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2, is a gene that helps control cell growth, division, and repair. When cells have too many copies of this gene, cell growth speeds up.

Causes of Breast Cancer

Simply being a woman is the main risk for breast cancer. While men can also get the disease, it is about 100 times more common in women than in men. The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Nearly 8 out of 10 breast cancers are found in women age 50 or older. About 5% to 10% of breast cancers are linked to changes (mutations) in certain genes. The most common gene changes are those of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease. The relatives can be from either the mother’s or father’s side of the family. Woman with cancer in one breast has a greater chance of getting a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast. This is different from the first cancer coming back Many experts now believe that the main reason for this is because they have faster growing tumors. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer. Certain types of abnormal biopsy results can be linked to a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.Women who have had radiation treatment to the chest area (as treatment for another cancer) earlier in life have a greatly increased risk of breast cancer


Some pregnant women were given the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol) because it was thought to lower their chances of losing the baby. Recent studies have shown that these women (and their daughters who were exposed to DES while in the uterus), have a slightly increased risk of getting breast cancer. Use of alcohol is clearly linked to a slightly increased risk of getting breast cancer. Women who have 1 drink a day have a very small increased risk. Those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 1½ times the risk of women who drink no alcohol. The American Cancer Society suggests limiting the amount you drink.Being overweight is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, especially for women after change of life and if the weight gain took place during adulthood. Also, the risk seems to be higher if the extra fat is in the waist area. Breast-feeding and pregnancy: Some studies have shown that breast-feeding slightly lowers breast cancer risk, especially if the breast-feeding lasts 1½ to 2 years. This could be because breast-feeding lowers a woman’s total number of menstrual periods, as does pregnancy. Women who began having periods early (before 12 years of age) or who went through the change of life (menopause) after the age of 55 have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

1.Lumps.

2.Rash.

3.Breast Pain.

4.Cysts.

5.Nipple Discharge.

6.Inverted Nipple.

Treatment of Breast Cancer

1.Hormonal therapy (with tamoxifen).

2.Chemotherapy.

3.Radiotherapy.

4.Surgery.

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