What’s Hot Now in Medicine

Below is the info from U.S Preventive Services task force…if you fulfill one of the criteria below, you might do a genetic testing/screening

* You have 2 (or more) first-degree relatives with breast cancer and one of them was diagnosed before menopause. (A first-degree relative is a sister, mother, or daughter)
* You have 3 (or more) first or second-degree relatives with breast cancer. (A second-degree relative would be a grandmother or aunt*)
* You have breast OR ovarian cancer in first or second degree relatives
* You have a first-degree relative who has had breast cancer in both breasts
* You have 2 (or more) first or second degree relatives with ovarian cancer
* You have a first or second degree relative who has both breast and ovarian cancer
* You are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and have a relative (first or second degree) with either breast or ovarian cancer
* You have a male relative who has had breast cancer

Ok..check if you need one

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Is Breast Cancer scary ? Let’s Perform a Breast Self Exam

(Source About.com)

Here’s How:

1. Stand in front of a mirror. Look for any changes such as puckering, changes in size or shape, dimpling, or changes in your skin texture.

2. Look for changes to the shape or texture of your nipples. Gently squeeze each nipple and look for discharge.

3. Repeat these steps with your hands on your hips, over your head, and at your side.

4. Raise your right arm and examine your every part of your left breast. Move in increasingly smaller circles, from the outside in, using the pads of your index and middle fingers.

5. Gently press and feel for lumps or thickenings.

6. Using body cream, if neccessary, continue to circle and gently massage the area outside your breast and under your arm.

7. Repeat with your left arm and right breast.

8. Lay down. Put a pillow under your right shoulder, and your right hand behind your head. Again gently massage and feel your breast for lumps or other changes.

9. Repeat with towel under left shoulder with left hand behind head.

Tips:

1. Menstruating women should do breast self-exam a few days after their periods end. Women who use oral contraceptives should do breast self exam on the first day of a new pill pack.

2. Post-menopausal non-menstruating women should pick a day and do breast self exam on the same day each month. Notify your physician immediately if you notice any changes or lumps.

3. Breast self exam should be a routine part of every woman’s life. Talk to your daughters about the importance of breast self exam so it will become a routine part of their lives.

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Did you know that out of every 7 women, 1 woman will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point during her life?

Thus, let’s explore the breast cancer ..

Symptoms of Breast Cancer
(btw, you can check right now )

* an abnormal lump or thickening in or near the breast or underarm area

* any change in the size or shape of the breast

* abnormal discharge from the nipple

* change in the color or texture of the breast, aureola, or nipple

* any dimpling or puckering of the breast

ok…check it yourself now !

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Ok..let’s continue the Mesothelioma’s symptoms

8 Sharp pain in lower back or side

“Pain associated with mesothelioma changes from.. mild, episodic, and localized, to severe and chronic as the disease progresses.

1st symptoms of pain depend on the type of mesothelioma. For pleural mesothelioma, the initial symptoms are a nagging discomfort or mild pain in the chest area or in the back.

For peritoneal mesothelioma,
1st symptoms are abdominal or pelvic discomfort, and, in some
cases, bowel obstruction and its resultant pain.”

9 Fever
“People with cancer are more likely to get fevers, which are usually
associated with infections. Common sites of infection are the lungs,
bladder, skin, mouth, gastrointestinal tract.

Ok..let’s talk about …Peritoneal Mesothelioma (Affecting the abdomen)

10 Anemia

Anemia is a decrease in the number of red blood cells.
Or the red blood cells are to small to work effectively.
Losing blood from tumors into the bowel, or into the sputm,
over time will cause the person to become anemic.
Loss of appetite can cause anemia to develop as well.

http://cancer.gov/dictionary/db_alpha.aspx?expand=A

11 Swelling and pain of abdomen

Abdominal swelling is caused by ascites. Ascites is “Abnormal
build-up of fluid in the abdomen that may cause swelling. In
late-stage cancer, tumor cells may be found in the fluid in the
abdomen. Ascites also occurs in patients with liver disease”

http://cancer.gov/dictionary/db_alpha.aspx?expand=A

we’ll continue soon..;-)

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Ok…let’s talk about other Mesothelioma’s symptoms

3 Night sweats
It doesn’t mean you sweat during nite

“Infections, malignancy and other diseases can also cause night sweats. When night sweats are due to an infection, the sweating usually occurs as the body temperature drops suddenly after running a fever.”
Yep..mesothelioma causes infection and thus..it causes nite sweat

4 Lethargy
You feel lack of energy, drowsiness and sleepy.

5 Weight loss due to anorexia
Anorexia..it means you hate eating. You lose appetite.
Patients with life-threatening illnesses often lose their appetite

6 Hoarseness
You’ll have husky voice..it’s because mesothelioma invades the lymphatics of the neck.
If the cancer metastasizes (spreads) from the
mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the face and neck.

7 Coughing up blood

Yep..blood comes out from your mouth
As mesothelioma tumors grow into the chest wall,
pleura and the lymphatic system,
erosion of the blood vessels occurs, allowing blood to enter the
bronchial tubes and into the sputum.

ok..see you soon ..

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About 3000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed a year, primarily in men over the age of 40.

Ok…what is mesothelioma ? why is it so hot ?

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer, caused by asbestos exposure.
Yeap..the one which is located above your head.
It affects the lungs (Pleural form), abdomen (Peritoneal form), and even the membrane around the heart (Pericardium form) .
Less than 1% of cases involve the pericardium.

The horror part is….
Symptoms may not appear for 20-50 years after exposure.
Death generally occurs within 18 months from the onset
of symptoms.

Today, let’s understand the first one …. Pleural Mesothelioma:
It affects the lungs, most often the right lung.
About 60% of most cases
Mesothelioma of both lungs is only seen in 5% of all cases.

So, what’re the 10 Symptoms of Mesothelioma ?

1 Dyspnea (Shortness of breath).

It means you’ve difficult, painful breathing or shortness of breath.
Why ?
It’s because pleural effusion
It’s an accumulation of fluid between the lining of the lung and the chest cavity.
The increasing of the amount of fluid makes you pain, makes you shortness of breath.

2 Chest pain and persistent cough, with increased sputum production.

As mesothelioma tumors grow, healthy tissue will be displaced.
It causes pressure and chest pain.

Why pain ? why chest pain ?
The pleura become thick, the bronchi produce sputum and
blood is seen in the sputum.

The mesothelioma tumors have a rich drainage system, and they drain into the pulmonary arteries and veins.
Then malignant mesothelioma cells fill up the cavitation (small bubbles or pockets) of the pleural surfaces .
That’s how it causes pain…real pain !

As the disease progresses, it covers the entire pleural space and invades the chest wall.

We talk other mesothelioma symptoms later…..

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