Posts Tagged ‘Risk Factor’
Signs And Symptoms Of Breast Cancer
The widespread use of screening mammograms has increased the number of breast cancers found before they cause any symptoms, but some are still missed.
The most common sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass. A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more likely to be cancer. But some cancers are tender, soft, and rounded. So it’s important to have anything unusual checked by a doctor.
Other signs of breast cancer include the following:
* Swelling of all or part of the breast
* Skin irritation or dimpling
* Breast pain
* Nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
* Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
* A nipple discharge other than breast milk
Sometimes breast cancer can spread to lymph nodes under the arm and cause a lump or swelling there, even before the tumor in the breast tissue is large enough to be felt.
If you have any symptoms that might be a sign of breast cancer, be sure to see a doctor as soon as you can. After asking you some questions and doing a complete physical exam (including a clinical breast exam), your doctor may want to do more tests, such as those listed below.
Imaging tests
Mammograms: Although mammograms are mostly used for screening, they can also be used if there is a breast problem. These are called diagnostic mammograms. This kind of mammogram might show that everything is okay and you can go back to having yearly mammograms. Or it might show that a biopsy should be done. Even if the mammogram doesn’t show a tumor, if you or your doctor can feel a lump you may need a biopsy. The exception would be if ultrasound shows that the lump is a cyst.
Mammograms often don’t work as well in younger women, mostly because their breasts are dense and this can hide a tumor. This is also true for pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding. Since most breast cancers occur in older women, this is usually not a major problem. But it is a problem for young women who have a genetic risk factor for breast cancer because they often get breast cancer at a younger age. For this reason, some doctors now suggest MRI along with mammograms for screening these women.
A mammogram cannot show for sure whether or not cancer is present. If your mammogram shows a possible problem, a sample of breast tissue is removed and looked at under a microscope. This is called a biopsy.
MRI scans: MRI scans can be used along with mammograms for screening women who have a high risk of getting breast cancer. Or they can be used to look at areas of concern found on a mammogram. MRI is also sometimes used for women who have breast cancer in order to help figure out the size of the cancer.
MRI scans use radio waves and strong magnets instead of X-rays to make pictures. A contrast material called gadolinium is often put into a vein before the scan to better show details. MRI scans can take a long time — often up to an hour. You have to lie inside a narrow tube, which may upset people with a fear of enclosed spaces. The machine makes loud buzzing and clicking noises that you may find disturbing. Some places will give you headphones with music to block this out.
Breast ultrasound: An ultrasound uses sound waves to outline a part of the body. The sound wave echoes are picked up by a computer to create a picture on a computer screen.
Ultrasound is a good test to use along with mammograms because it is widely available and costs less than other tests. But ultrasound should not be used instead of mammograms. Usually, it is used to look at a certain area of concern found by the mammogram. It sometimes helps to tell the difference between cysts and solid masses without using a needle to draw out fluid.
Ductogram (also called a galactogram): This is a special kind of X-ray that is sometimes helpful in finding the cause of a nipple discharge. A very thin plastic tube is placed into the opening of the duct at the nipple. A dye is injected to outline the shape of the duct on an X-ray picture. It will show if there is a tumor inside the duct. If there is a discharge, the fluid can be tested for cancer cells.
There are several other tests that can help tell the doctor more about your situation. Feel free to ask your doctor to explain any test to you.
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Dangers Of Getting Lip Cancer – Common Kind Of Skin Cancer
When we think of skin cancer, we don’t usually thing of lip cancer. However, is more common than most of us realize. It is the most common form of oral cancer.
Most lip cancers start in squamous cells. These are the thin, flat cells that line our lips. These cancer cells, also known as squamous cell carcinomas, usually begin in areas of leukoplakia (white patches of cells that do not rub off). Interestingly, this type of skin cancer usually happens on the lower lip.
There are certain groups of individuals who are at a greater risk than others for developing this kind of skin cancer. This group would include males, people over the age of 40. It would also include individuals who use tobacco or alcohol products or have a history of head or neck cancer. Having said that, anyone is at risk of developing cancer.
Lip cancer has the same risk factors as other kinds skin cancer. The highest risk factor for all forms of skin cancer is the sun. Fortunately, this is one risk factor that we can control. Simply by using good sun blockers that have been formulated to protect the lips can go a along way in protecting them from UVA/UVB exposure.
Another risk factor associated with this type of cancer is being infected with human papillomavirus (HPV).
A sore on the lip or in the mouth that does not heal or a white or red patch on the gums are some of the early symptoms of lip or oral cancer. Bleeding, pain or numbness in the lip or mouth would be other symptoms. As well, a lump or thickening on the lips or gums would be an indication that there was a problem.
It should be noted that lip cancer may not have any symptoms and is often found during regular visits to the dentists. Also, the above mentioned symptoms may be an indication of other medical conditions.
If you are having any of these signs be sure and have them checked out.
To correctly diagnoses this kind of skin cancer it is important/spin] for you to have a physical examination of the lips and oral cavity. An endoscopy and x-rays to the head, neck and chest area are often [spin]ordered as part of the diagnosing procedure. A PET scan may also be ordered. A biopsy or a procedure to collect cells for the lip or oral cavity may be given.
There are certain considerations that affect the prognosis. How advanced] the cancer is at and where the tumor is [located in the lip will determine the rate of recovery.
Treatment options will depend on the how advanced the cancer is, the size of the tumor and where it is located in the lip or oral cavity. Also, whether the patient’s appearance and ability to talk and eat can stay the same will all be considered.
Like all other forms of cancer there is a risk that lip cancer will spread to other areas of the body. Don’t overlook any irregularities that may indicate there is something not normal. The sooner lip cancer or any other type of cancer is diagnosed the greater the survival rate. Don’t put off going to your doctor to get these irregularities checked out.
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