Women Cancer Health Treatment

Researchers say that an extract made from broccoli sprouts may prevent skin cancer when applied directly to the skin, broccoli contains a chemical that stimulates the body’s natural anti-cancer ability. It could prevent the damage from ultraviolet light that often leads to skin cancer. And, as many children would surely appreciate, you do not even have to eat it.

The findings were published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lead study author Dr. Paul Talalay, in the department of pharmacology and molecular sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, emphasizes that the chemical component from broccoli sprout extract is not a sunscreen. Unlike sunscreen, the extract does not absorb UV light and “does not prevent the radiation from penetrating into the skin,” he says. Read more!

Breast cancer is caused by a mixture of genetic factors, environmental influences and ageing, says the National Breast Cancer Centre. The risk of developing it can be further increased with these factors:

1. FAMILY HISTORY
Risk is higher for mothers, daughters and sisters of women who had it prior to menopause.

2. GENETIC DAMAGE
Mutations of the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes.

3. EARLY MENARCHE
Starting your periods before the age of 12.

4. EXPOSURE TO RADIATION
To breast tissue in particular, before age 20.
Read more!

Skin Cancer is one of the most common cancers. Approximately one in six people will develop skin cancer. Medical experts unanimously agree that overexposure to sunlight is the main culprit. Other factors include sunburn with blistering especially during childhood, skin creams that contain tar if used over a prolonged period, repeated X-rays, exposure to coal and arsenic, radiation, chemotherapy and family history. Freckles with fair skin that doesn’t tan very easily can also put one at risk.

Most skin cancers grow slowly. It is imperative you inspect your body on a regular basis for anything unusual. Stand in front of a full length mirror and with a hand held mirror check out every inch of your skin. Have someone check the top of your head as well. Read more!

There is compelling research that shows daily use of sunscreen not only helps protect against sunburn, premature aging and skin cancer, it can help reduce future skin pre-cancers from appearing as well. Although people enjoy the sunshine, they need to be aware that too much exposure can cause skin cancer. Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, but if detected early, it can usually be treated.

The a new study released by the Skin Cancer Foundation also found that sunscreen may make existing pre-cancers disappear altogether. The level of sun protection used in the study was SPF 15, one of the lower grades of sun protection.
“Skin cancer can affect anyone,” a radiation oncologist, Dennis, said. “However, those at greatest risk are people who have fair or freckled skin that burns easily, light eyes and blond or red hair. Those with a history of skin cancer should definitely pay close attention to the changes in their skin.” Read more!

A U.S. advisory panel recommended that 11- and 12-year-old girls be routinely vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer. They also recommended that the vaccine, called Gardasil, which is made by Merck & Co., be administered to girls as young as 9, at the provider’s discretion, and for women up to age 26 who have not previously been vaccinated against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).

Clinical studies have shown that the Gardasil vaccine is 100-percent effective — when taken as prescribed in three doses — when given to girls before they become sexually active in preventing infection with HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. About 7 percent of children have had sexual intercourse before age 13, and about a quarter of boys and girls have had sex by age 15, according to government surveys. Read more!

About one third of all cancer deaths are related to diet. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) dietary choices, together with exercise and a healthy weight, could prevent 3 to 4 million cancer cases worldwide each year. The top 3 causes of cancer are genetics, diet and environment. If individuals work to minimize the factors linked with the risks, as high as 60-70 percent of cancers can be prevented.

Following a Plant Based Diet
The best type of diet to prevent cancer is one that is based mostly on a variety of plant foods. Scientific evidence shows that vegetables and fruits protect against many different types of cancer. The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends 5 to 10 fruits and vegetables a day, which can reduce incidences of cancer by as much as 40 percent. Read more!

The artificial sweetener aspartame is not linked to cancer, according to a report just released by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The report said there was no cancer risk from foods and drinks containing the food sweetener aspartame, rejecting a scientific study that said the additive was hazardous.

The European food watchdog undertook an urgent review of the additive following a study, published in 2005 by an Italian cancer research body which found the sweetener — widely used in diet foods, soft drinks and as a sugar substitute — increased cancers in rats, which suggested aspartame was carcinogenic. But a working party said the incidence of tumours could not be linked to the artificial sweetener. Read more!

The cancer-stopping power of tea does not play favorites; Venus and Mars can both benefit from increasing their intake of green tea. In men, ECG reduces the body’s synthesis of DHT, a potent form of testosterone that causes prostate cancer.
ECG has also been found to be the most potent catechin in inducing cancer cell death in human prostate cancer cells. In women, ECG also helps keep breast cells from turning cancerous. In addition, green tea enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy and helps protect against radiotherapy damage.
A recent lung cancer study showed that a combination of catechins rather than ECG alone was more effective at producing apoptosis (programmed cell death), and the effect was synergistically increased when catechins were combined with other anti-cancer agents such as the well-known breast cancer drug tamoxifen. Read more!

Cancer is linked to unhealthy lifestyles that include diets high in saturated fats and simple sugars, lack of exercise, exposure to environmental poisons (cigarette smoke and industrial poisons) and depressed immunity. Cancer wreaks havoc on your physical and emotional well-being because of fatigue and nausea from medications and pain from surgery. Yoga may be just the ticket to help people slow down and reduce stress so that medical treatments have a chance to work.

The Mountain States Tumor Institute at St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho has been using Yoga to help patient cope with the stress of the disease. Meditation is used during yoga that allows patients to focus their minds on how their bodies feel. Read more!

The American Cancer Society predicts about 174,470 new cases of lung cancer in the U.S. in 2006 and be the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths for men and women alike. Lung cancer accounts for more than a quarter of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.

Smoking is a leading cause of lung cancer, but not all lung cancer patients are or have ever been smokers.

Just like what happened to Dana Reeve lung cancer, Jay Broks, chief of hematology and oncology at the Ochsner Clinic in Baton Rouge, said, “We don’t completely understand why they develop lung cancer,” when Reeve announced her diagnosis last summer. Brooks also chief of staff at the Ochsner Medical Center in Baton Rouge. Read more!

Sisters share all kinds of things: clothes, makeup, family recipes. Unfortunately, sometimes they also share a disease. According to the American Cancer Society, sisters of breast cancer patients are twice as likely to develop it as well. Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences are trying to find out why, and they need the help of Latinas.

Women whose sister have breast cancer are being asked to join the Sister Study, a national study focusing on identifying factors that influence the development of this type of cancer.
By studying sisters, who share the same genes and often similar experiences and environments, researchers are hoping to have a better chances of learning what cause the disease. Read more!

An African American woman is less likely to get breast cancer than a white woman, but more likely to die from it. For her, breast cancer often comes at a younger age and in more dangerous forms than for other U.S. women.

Dr. Beth A. Jones of Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Conn., found that a breast tumor characteristic called “p53″ (gene mutation that belongs to the tumor itself, not part of the woman’s genetic inheritance) is four times more common in African American than white women and P53 tumors are harder to treat.

“Women with p53 alterations don’t have the same response to standard chemotherapy treatment,” explained Jones. “One study suggested using higher-dose chemotherapy.” Read more!

One research showed that approximately 520,000 Americans die of cancer each year and it’s been cost roughly $104 billion to United States, including medical expenses and loss of work productively. Stats reported that in the 1980s more than 4.5 million Americans died from cancer and mostly appears in people middle-aged and older and can occur at any age.

Actually cancer is not one disease, but rather many related diseases. Cancer is typed according to the part of the body where it is located and the kind of cells that comprise it. Here are some common types of cancer cells and their locations :

Sarcomas, it grow in bones and connective tissues between organs and skin, but sometimes spread into the lymphatic system or blood. Read more!

Obstetric and Gynecology published issue that could have critical health implications as public health advocates work to not only educate women about reducing their risks for cervical cancer, but also lower tobacco use around the globe.
Many researches results are being seen as especially important for women living in developing countries, where smoking is on the rise and cervical cancer.

Passive smoking has been known to increase the risks for heart disease and lung cancer in both men and women, and active cigarette smoking has been long established as a major risk factor for cervical cancer. Although scientists have suspected a link between secondhand smoke and cervical cancer, they needed more data to prove it. Read more!

Breast cancer is rare during adolescence, but on the other hand, breast lumps are common for girls age. This apparent contradiction is explained by the fact that teenagers often get cysts or tumors in their breasts that are not cancerous and those results from sensitivity to estrogen.

In most of time, these lumps will disappear on their own, but please always check them to a doctor. Small nodules sometimes appear on some girls breasts, this condition used to be called fibrocystic disease but this term no longer used because actually from the current awareness that this is not a disease, but only a normal variation. And when you find a lump and before taking any action, doctors will usually wait up to three menstrual cycles, as they most likely disappear. Read more!