Asbestos- uses, dangers, disposal…

At some basic level, we all have an underlying fear of facing cancer in any form, from the identification of abnormal symptoms to the dreaded diagnosis of cancer, and then dealing with cancer treatments. Well, imagine being a mere child and facing the prospect of that same set of steps with Neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma stage 4 is a cancer that has spread to the body’s other areas - such as the bones, lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver, skin or potentially other vital organs.

If your child has been diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, keep reading for more information about the disease, survival rates, risk factors, and common treatments.

A Neuroblastoma Overview

Approximately 650 cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed every year in the U.S. It’s the third most common kind of cancer in children and the most frequent form in infants. Approximately 90 percent of all cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed in children aged 6 and under.

About 30% of all neuroblastoma cases begin in the adrenal glands, another 30% start in the ganglia of the abdomen’s sympathetic nervous system, and the majority of the remainder begin in the neck’s sympathetic ganglia, chest or pelvis.

Rates for Five-Year Survival

With most cases of neuroblastoma, the five year survival rate for children under the age of 1 is an impressive 83%. For kids between 1 and 4, it’s 55% and for children 5 and older, only 40%.

However, for children diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, that survival rate drops to 50-80% for children under the age of one and to 15% for older children.

Treatments Used for Stage 4 of Neuroblastoma

Children who are diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma are considered high risk. They are typically subjected to intensive, high-dosage chemotherapy accompanied by surgery and stem cell transplantations. Typically though, surgery is the first step unless the neuroblastoma has spread too far.

In most cases, treatment involves a combination of medications. The main drugs used to treat children with neuroblastoma are cisplatin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, etoposide and topotecan. These drugs produce a positive response in two thirds of children.

In certain cases, particularly when the cancer has spread too far to be completely removed by surgery - as is the case with the fourth stage of neuroblastoma - chemotherapy is the primary treatment.

Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplants

High-intensity chemotherapy can destroy bone marrow completely. Without marrow, new blood cells won’t develop. To solve this problem, children with neuroblastoma are often treated with high-intensity chemotherapy and then must undergo a bone marrow transplantation or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

Radiation Therapy

Typically, radiation treatments are used as a final attempt to kill any remaining neuroblastoma stage 4 cells after surgery on an affected area.

However, in many instances of late-stage and advanced neuroblastoma, it’s rarely used unless it’s implemented as a pain-management tool or in conjunction with chemotherapy.

Mesothelioma is a cancer that appears in the lungs’ linings. Experts believe that its main cause is contact with asbestos. There are about 3000 new cases reported every year in the United States. Roughly 8 million people have been exposed to asbestos in the last 50 years. Beginning a few decades ago, safety measures were put in place so that asbestos exposure was at first minimized and eventually will be nonexistent. Because of this, some experts believe that mesothelioma will continue to be prevalent until about 2020, and that thereafter it will begin to decline. By then, asbestos exposure should be quite rare.

As with any cancer, it is imperative that the mesothelioma patient is treated as early as possible for best survival odds. However, those who have mesothelioma are at a disadvantage because of the time factor. In many cases, patients first diagnosed with mesothelioma actually had their exposures 20 to 50 years prior. Because of this, patients are usually over the age of 50. In addition, first symptoms are nebulous and can be attributed to many things, which means that diagnosis is very difficult. Because of this, mesothelioma can be quite advanced once it is detected. There is no fully effective treatment available to cure mesothelioma. However, most experts believe that monotherapy is less effective than combination therapy in treating this disease. Mesothelioma treatments continue to be researched.

Studies focusing on mesothelioma survival rate show dismal results, with a mortality rate of almost 100%. Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma survive, on average, six months to two years. However, there are exceptions, which continue to give other mesothelioma patients and their families hope. Patients’ life expectancy depends on many things, including the state of advancement at diagnosis (mesothelioma has four stages), as well as the type of mesothelioma diagnosed. Tissue structures were tested to find the type of cells within, and it was found that sarcomatous cells put the patient’s median survival rate at about 11 months, with 11 months for mixed cells and 12.5 months for epithelial cells.

However, there are other ways to positively influence survival rate if someone has mesothelioma. Approximately 9% of mesothelioma patients survive five years after diagnosis, which shows that there are people who do survive over the long-term with this type of cancer. In some cases, these patients are symptom free. Research continues, so that one day a cure may be found.

If a patient is otherwise healthy at time of diagnosis, then his or her survival rate will be favorably impacted. In addition, if the tumor can be removed fully and is smaller versus larger, this is also going to positively influence survival rate. The amount of fluid in the chest cavity at time of diagnosis is also important. The type of cells present such as was described above is also important. Survival rate is likely to be poor if the cancer has recurred versus whether it has been newly diagnosed.

If you have mesothelioma or a family member does, it’s important to focus on hope. The Internet is a great resource if you find yourself in this situation. You can find groups online with others in the same situation, and support and encouragement with this disease is important. In addition, you’ll be privy to the latest treatments available for the disease. This can make it difficult situation much easier to deal with. And of course, your health care practitioner will also likely have resources he or she can give you.

The lung cancer possibility my uncle faced was a horrible shock. The shortness of breath and chest pain we blamed on walking pneumonia now had a nastier cause. Worse yet, it was a cause that couldn’t be cured by a good, strong round of antibiotics. He was sent off for a biopsy, which gave us even worse news. He had mesothelioma. This diagnosis was worse because it had less chance of survival than “traditional” lung cancer. We were mad, since this was something he had no blame in having developed. The doctor said it is often a result of exposure to asbestos dust, usually on the job. That’s when my uncle had to find a Texas Mesothelioma Attorney, since that’s where he’d worked and where most of the businesses still were. The suspected cause of his illness was asbestos dust. He was probably exposed when he worked in construction at industrial and commercial sites. I was told millions were exposed for over forty years doing exactly that time. But the idea that a lot of other people faced the same disease as took a toll on him didn’t make his deterioration any easier. Which job at what time, or even just a slow exposure over time from multiple employers, several of which could have been at fault – who do you blame? More importantly, who do you turn to for support for something like this? Our attorney was wonderful in that regard. One of the problems is that the claims are so often denied up front. There was a rush of anyone with any kind of lung cancer or breathing problem to get treatment from the State funds for this disorder. That’s when we really needed our Texas Mesothelioma attorney, to get the extra tests and repeat case filings until things were paid for. Our lives were focused on getting one more day, trying to get one more year. Unfortunately, due to backlog, these cases drag on for years now. We still need his attorney, even after his death, in order to collect death benefits for his kids.

The world can look depressing and harsh sometimes. Even though many aspects of life are phenomenal, of course there are some that generate grief and sorrow. I guess we all have to accept the good with the bad. Let’s say we’ll never know how it is to live in a utopia. One aspect of life as we know it is disease. You can’t imagine the despair caused by cancer. Millions of persons are affected with this disease and it’s in the gene pool unfortunately. Therefore, is there anyway to prevent cancer completely. You can try your best to live healthy and stay fit, but it won’t absolutely avoid this disease. One thing you can do is to acquire all the cancer information you can. The more you know, the better off you are.

My uncle and his wife both died from cancer. They lived on a farm where pesticides continually infected their drinking water. We all know that this is not the first time this has occurred. I guess others have been affected in this very same way. It’s sad when I think about it, because a good search in cancer information could have prevented this tragedy. What you know can really save your life. As far as my uncle and his wife were concerned, they just found out too late.

What I have trouble understanding is how they didn’t know they were in danger. Fields around their home were always sprayed with chemicals and they drank well water. Not city water. It baffles me to this day. In the 1990s, this sort of cancer information was available. All they had to do was observe their situation. Something that’s nearly impossible not to do these days.

Looking around and seeking for current health articles, cancer has become one of the hottest topics. The common types of cancer include ovarian cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer and so on. For women, it is better to equip themselves with early symptoms of ovarian cancer knowledge. For man, especially those who smokes should learn more about lung cancer. Cancer as a modern days deadly disease has causes chaos in the human race. Medical reseekingers regard cancer to be a “metabolic disease”. Metabolic diseases are those diseases that affect the metabolism rate of our body. Thus, cancer as a disease affects the human cells in the body.

Cells as in biology definition are microscopic living units in the body, which turn into all living organs in the body. Meaning, at any given time or state, the human body is made up of a billion cells that form the human organs.

The common cells divide and develop to a certain level and then they die after a little time. Somehow, cancer is an abcommon and unusual cells crop up in the human body. Unlike the common cells which follow the common rate of growth and division, cancer cells grow and spread in the human body at an alerting and fast rate. The cancer cells keep on dividing and continue growing on. As a result, cancer cells start getting clumped together, which in turn creates a tumor. Cancer is a deadly disease that affects the human cells.

It is acknowledged that cancer actually is a stage in the body when the cells turn, “trophoblastic”. Trophoblastic is a situation in the human body, when the cells in the human body tend to produce at a more quickly rate than the normal. This stage can be explained for example, when a human body gets an external or internal injury, then the cells of the human body start the restoring process, by starting to produce. In case, the cells are in a trophoblastic stage, then although the cells start restoring, but they don’t stop produceing, thereby causing a lump. This in medical term is also called as a tumor. This lump goes numb even if the body controls the growth of the trophoblastic cells and demonstrates to be highly injurious if the cells keep increasing. The removal of such tumor would rather lead to the undisciplined growth of those trophoblastic cells, because of more effected sited due to the operation, and thus arise in increasing the cancer.

There are few cares for cancer. The known medical cares for cancer today are radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Unfortunately neither radiation therapy is useful due to the fact it causes more wounded parts and thus increases the cancer cells, nor chemotherapy is useful because it adversely effects the immune system of the body and the body holds no-more strength of natural healing.

Skin Cancer is one of the most common skin cancer. 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. You should know your body in detail, so that when something different rears its ugly head, you notice it immediately!

Watch for any unusual spots. Look for lesions, moles or spots that are asymmetrical in shape. Observe for any colored spot that grows bigger or develops an uneven color or irregular, ragged edge. Look for any nodules or patches that are red and scaly, as this can be a squamous cell carcinoma which can metastasize (spread). Other symptoms to look for are changes in the surface of a mole. If you notice the mole is raised above the skin and has a rough surface, is scaly, oozing, bleeding or there is development of bumps on any mole, seek medical attention. In other words anything that develops that wasn’t on your body before should be investigated by your physician.

Skin cancer has a high cure rate if caught early. Excision of the lesion is the most common treatment. Self examination is the key to early detection with a regular visit to your doctor for check ups.

The best methods to avoid skin cancer types are to avoid the sun, especially during the hottest part of the day from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wear a sunscreen if you are out doors with an SPF of at least 15 or more, applied thirty minutes before going into the sun. Put the sunscreen everywhere the suns rays will hit you. Don’t forget your ears and men don’t forget any bald areas on top of your head. If you have to be out in the sun, use a wide brimmed hat or cap. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun. Choose sunglasses that protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Sunglasses can help prevent cataracts as well. Wear long sleeve shirts and pants if it is not sweltering hot, to better protect your body. Don’t use tanning salons as they can damage your skin just like the sun.

Of course there is the controversy that you need some sun in order NOT to be vitamin D deficient. Ask your doctor to prescribe a good vitamin D supplement. Your doctor can advise the proper dose to take. I know it is hard at times to completely avoid the sun. A few minutes of sun occasionally with a good sun screen, should not be too harmful, as long as you watch the time of day and check your body on a regular basis. Also too much sun can contribute to wrinkles. Avoidance is best, but not always possible. Hence, just be very careful and check, check, check your body regularly (monthly if possible). Go to your doctor immediately when you notice any irregularities. Keep healthy!

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the cells of female and male breast tissue. Breast cancer is more common in women, but men do get breast cancer as well.

Breast Cancer Facts

Usually, the first sign of breast cancer is a lump in the breast. Everyone, especially women, is advised to regularly check their breasts for lumps and bumps to catch it early if they are unfortunate enough to get breast cancer. Finding a lump in the breast is usually the first thing women do before they go for a check with the doctor.

After a lump has been found, a doctor/physician will do a standard mammogram and will then be able to confirm whether or not it is in fact breast cancer. Lumps are not always fund in the breast, they can also be found in what is known as the lymph nodes that can be found in the collarbone or the armpits.

There are other ways to look out for breast cancer other than looking for a lump. Keeping an eye out on changes in the breast shape or size can also be an indication in some cases. Some women have had skin dimpling, nipple discharge and nipple inversion as signs of breast cancer.

Whether you end up getting breast cancer later in life can be determined or factored by certain hereditary and environmental factors. Here are some of the factors that may determine who may get breast cancer over other people:

? Genetic mutations such as high level exposure of estrogens.

? Inherited DNA defects

While these can show us some pattern towards those that get breast cancer, it certainly doesn’t rule out every woman in the world. The age, sex, hormones, alcohol habit, smoking habit, obesity, high fat diets, radiation and other factors may make you more at risk of breast cancer.

Mammography checks have now become a standard procedure in many countries as this is simply the easiest and the quickest way to determine whether or not a woman has breast cancer.

Symptoms of Cancer

It is usually around the age of 40 or 50 when women are invited to have regular screening appointments. Some women still choose not to go, even though these screenings save lives and reduce the risk of not surviving breast cancer. The earlier that breast cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat.

Breast cancer is a big fear throughout every woman’s life. Support will always be necessary if you find out you have breast cancer. There are many fantastic support groups usually set up by women who are suffering or who have already been through it and won. These support groups are vital for breast cancer information and to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

It is important to understand what is going to happen to you if you do have breast cancer. You can find this out from your doctor, but there is nothing better than hearing it from someone who has or is going through it themselves.

Breast Cancer Facts

A mesothelioma patient frequently forgets his or her contact with asbestos. To track down the source of asbestos exposure, obtain a detailed work history, beginning with the first job the patient held; ask about materials the patient and his fellow workers used.

Positive identification of asbestos exposure significantly helps to clarify clinical and radiologic suspicion, as well as pathologic diagnosis of mesothelioma, gastrointestinal cancer, or lung cancer. Also file a report of work injury. An individual should be compensated for medical expenses and disability due to a hazardous work environment that has subjected him to high risk or to diseases such as mesothelioma.

Although a cure for pleural mesothelioma–stage I, or carcinoma in situ–is associated with a five-year survival o’70-100 percent. Thus, identifying workers at high risk from asbestos, through periodic chest X-ray study and sputum cytology, is merited.

It also is important to screen a potentially hazardous work environment for epidemiologic information. Hazardous materials then can be identified and inhalational exposure controlled by suitable respiratory exhaust ventilation, and substitution of other materials for asbestos. Waiting for signs and/or symptoms of cancer to appear is waiting far too long.

“Treatment for malignant mesothelioma remains investigational. . .. Radical surgery, such as pleuropneumonectomy for patients who have pleural mesothelioma, in the majority of patients is not curative.”

Early diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma is difficult. A patient often presents with an isolated pleural effusion of unknown etiology; pleural thickening or scalloping may be absent. Pleural cytology and needle biopsy rarely are diagnostic.

A recent review of our experience at Mount Sinai Hospital indicates that the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma was delayed for more than six months in 25 percent of patients. Many patients were observed during several months or received treatment for suspected tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus.

Three diagnostic steps are important. First, suspect the diagnosis. The most helpful hint is a history of past asbestos exposure. Be sure to list the dates and durations of the patient’s jobs when taking a careful occupational history. Temporary employment such as summer jobs while in high school or college and activities during World War II are impotant. It took six months for one of my patients to remember that she had been exposed to asbestos; only when she discussed the matter with an old friend did they both recall having worked in a factory 40 years previously insulating electric wires with asbestos.

When a history of occupational exposure is absent, explore the possibility of environmental or familial exposure to asbestos, such as residential proximity to shipyards or asbestos factories. I have seen several patients below age 40 with mesothelioma who were exposed to asbestos as children through the work clothes of a family member, usually the father. Cigarette smoking does not appear to increase the risk of malignant mesothelioma, although it seems to act synergistically with asbestos to induce lung cancer .

Second, obtain an adequate biopsy specimen for diagnosis. Usually this requires an open surgical approach, such as thoracotomy or laparotomy, although thoracoscopy or laparoscopy may be substituted at an early stage when serosal thickening still is minimal. When the pathologic features are characteristic–as in mixed (biphasic) mesothelioma, where both epithelial and fibrosarcomatous elements are present–the diagnosis is established. The majority of cases of mesothelioma, however, are epithelial (tubulopapillary) and quite often are confused with a metastatic adenocarcinoma in the lung, breast, pancreas, or in the ovaries.

Third, confirm the diagnosis by ruling out another primary tumor and obtaining special stains. The absence of mucin (as indicated by muciearmine stain or the periodic acid-Schiff stain) and the presence of hyaluronic acid (as indicated by colloidal iron or Alcian blue stains), followed by hyaluronidase digestion, are characteristic of epithelial mesothelioma. If doubt persists, a repeat biopsy or electron microscopy may become necessary.

Treatment for malignant mesothelioma remains investigational. A staging system based on the tumor, nodes, metastasis (TNM) classification has been proposed.

Radical surgery, such as pleuropneumonectomy for patients with pleural mesothelioma, usually is not curative. But palliative surgery such as pleural decortication may be beneficial, particularly in patients with recurrent pleural effusion. radiotherapy often is disappointing, partly because the extent of disease would requires very large radiation fields. And clinical experience with chemotheraly–doxorubicin HCl Adriamycin has been the most commonly employed agent–is limited.

Malignant mesotheliomas are staged surgically as follows:

Stage 1–tumor confined to one hemithorax or to the peritoneal cavity Stage 2–tumor involving the chest wall: mediastinum, pericardium, or the contra-lateral pleura. Stage 3–tumor in both thorax and abdomen or in lymph nodes outside the chest Stage 4–distant bloodborne metastases.

While the extent of disease cannot be accurately delineated on a flat chest film, the characteristic orange-peel appearance and mediastinal involvement can frequently be seen clearly on CT scan. The CT scan is used increasingly for staging.

Mesothelioma encases the lung, preventing proper expansion, but direct invasion of the lungs is not usually encountered. In early stage 1, the peel is relatively thin, and it is sometimes possible merely to peel the pleura from the lung without doing a pneumonectomy.

More extensive resection is usually necessary with a thicker tumor. Beyond stage 1, the tumor is more difficult to resect, and the attempt is made only occasionally.

Mesothelioma is a highly malignant, almost invariably lethal tumor regardless of histologic type. Survival time appears to correlate with the stage of disease. But even patients with stage 1 disease–the majority–do not have a good prognosis. The typical mesothelioma survival rate with stage 1 or 2 disease generally die within two years.

Virtually the average mesothelioma patient with stage 3 disease are dead within one year, with a median survival of only six months. Almost half of patients have no known history of asbestos exposure; however, there is no correlation of exposure or site of the primary lesion with prognosis.

In general, the longer the duration of symptoms before diagnosis, the better the prognosis–that is, indolent tumors remain slow growing. Degree of dyspnea is apparently dependent upon the amount of pleural effusion, in addition to tumor volume; a small amount of tumor may be associated with a large pleural effusion. The degree of pain appears to be related to invasion of the chest wall, denoting a more aggressive tumor.

The most frequent cause of death from mesothelioma is respiratory failure, mainly because the disease in almost half of patients remains localized to the chest. Pleural mesothelioma is bilateral at presentation in fewer than 5 percent of patients. Spread to the opposite lung or into the abdomen–bowel obstruction also may be a cause of death–does not usually occur until late in the disease course.

Small bowel obstruction is the most frequent cause of death resulting from primary peritoneal mesotheliomas. Patients with pericardial or cardiac involvement may die of arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, or, if vessels are compromised, a myocardial infarct.

For most women undergoing therapeutic radiation, breast cancer is the reason why. It is the most common cancer among women in the United States, and radiation therapy is one of the most widely used treatments. To learn more about radiation and how and why it’s used, read on.

How Radiation Therapy Works

Radiation therapy for breast cancer uses high-energy x-rays that either kill cancer cells or inhibit their ability to divide or grow. Cancer cells grow rapidly and are therefore more susceptible to the effects of radiation therapy - more so than normal, healthy cells.

When Radiation Therapy is Used

Radiation can be used to treat almost any stage of breast cancer. It’s most often used as the primary treatment in stage one and stage two breast cancer, but in conjunction with surgery or after a mastectomy.

Radiation: After Lumpectomy Surgery for Breast Cancer Treatment

A lumpectomy is a surgical process where a cancerous lump or small tumor is removed from the breast. After this procedure, most practitioners prescribe radiation treatment to prevent an in-breast recurrence or relapse.

The risk for in-breast recurrence hovers at around 30 percent if radiation therapy is not given to the patient after a lumpectomy. Yet, if the patient receives radiation therapy, that risk is reduced to a fraction (between 5 and 10 percent).

Despite the survival benefits for radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, it’s not for everyone. If you’ve had radiation before, suffer from a connective tissue disease like lupus or are pregnant, you should not undergo radiation therapy.

Radiation After a Mastectomy

Most doctors recommend radiation therapy after a mastectomy for patients who are at a high risk for cancer recurrence anywhere on the chest wall. Factors that put many women at risk include underarm lymph nodes that may test positive for cancerous cells, any tumor larger than 5 cm, and narrow margins for positive cancer cells in the removed tissue.

If a patient has a very small amount of lymph nodes that test positive for cancer cells, many practitioners argue over the value of radiation therapy at all. While breast cancer survival rates may be higher, many patients suffer from other issues like heart or coronary problems caused by the radiation.

Radiation Therapy Side Effects

Radiation is a cumulative process, meaning side effects tend to become more pronounced as the treatment progresses and continues.

The most common side effect of radiation is fatigue. Patients should plan for this and opt to either take time off work or cut down on their stress and overall workload both at the office and at home. Some changes like a difference in skin color, different skin texture or increased skin irritation can also occur.

Other symptoms are itching, general skin irritation, redness, peeling, soreness, swelling and other common symptoms associated with localized radiation. Breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy often compare it to a severe, but very small sunburn. The good news is that when the treatment comes to a conclusion, the symptoms gradually diminish.

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