Lower The Risk Of Developing Breast Cancer example essay topic

CANCER All living things are made up of cells. They are the smallest things that are capable of basic life-they take in nutrients when needed, they put out waste and they reproduce. Cells divide (reproduce) at least once during their life, sometimes dozens of times. Organisms rely on this, this is how they grow or repair themselves when they are damaged.

A normal body has around 30 trillion cells. Permanent gene mutations are what cause cells to malfunction. When this happens several times to the same cell it can become cancerous. This can take many years in some cases. A cancerous cell reproduces at different rates, but eventually they overcrowd the normal cells and turn into a tumor. There are two types of tumors, benign and malignant.

A benign tumor does not spread to other parts of the body, it stays in one place. Benign tumors are not dangerous and do not need to be removed, but if you would like to have it removed for appearance purposes or if it is uncomfortable it can be surgically removed very easily. A malignant tumor is a tumor that can spread to other parts of the body which makes them very dangerous. There are many different kinds of cancer and they all react differently to different types of treatments. Cancer cells can break away from a tumor and spread to other parts of the body. They usually spread through the blood or lymph systems.

When this happens it is called metastasis. It doesn't matter where the cancer spreads to; it is still named after the part of the body where it started. For example if the cancer started in the breast and then spread to the lymphatic system it is defined as metastatic breast cancer. A recurrence is when the cancer returns after someone has had treatments and appeared to be cancer free. Cancer can take years to develop so it is usually a few things that contribute to it. Scientists are not exactly sure what causes cancer but there have been studies that show that some people are more prone than others to develop it.

One million people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer every year. In the United States 163 out of every 100,000 men develop cancer, and 110 out of every 100,000 women develop it. 1 People of all ages develop cancer but it is more common in people 50 years old or older. Although we are not quite sure what causes cancer studies have shown that not smoking, eating healthy, and exercising for 30 minutes every day can lower the risk by sixty percent. Just doing that could save your life. There are also things like bad eating habits that account for thirty percent of cancer deaths in the USA.

Eating a lot of red meats or a lot of salt, or saturated fat can be very dangerous. People with obesity have a much higher risk of developing cancer among other things. Having more than two alcoholic drinks a day can also increase the risk. But one of the biggest contributors is tobacco. People that smoke cigars, cigarettes, or chew increase their risk. If a non smoker lived with a smoker the non smoker's chances would increase by thirty percent.

Second hand smoke is very dangerous. Starting to smoke when young also increases the chance. Cancer caused by tobacco can appear in different places in the body, it can appear in the lungs, esophagus, respiratory tract, bladder and pancreas. Eating healthy and exercising are very important, they are a big part of preventing cancer.

Heredity also plays a role. Some gene mutations are inherited. There are tests to determine whether or not a person has these. If any mutated genes are found extra measures are taken to prevent cancer. Radiation has been linked to cancer, especially skin cancer. People with early warning signs should contact their physician immediately.

The physician will check the patient's medical history and then decide what examinations will be needed. They may choose to perform a biopsy in which a sample of the infected skin is sent to a lab to be analyzed. We still have a lot to learn about cancer, but we have already come a long way. Today sixty percent of people that get diagnosed live ay least five years; 50 years ago there was hardly any chance for survival at all, because we knew nothing about the disease.

The NCI (National Cancer Institute) estimates that 8 million people are living with cancer or have been cured and are living at this time. 2 All of this is because more and more of us are going and getting tests done, even without any signs of cancer. So cancer is being detected early, and the earlier the cancer is detected the better the chance of survival. It would be smart to go and talk to your doctor and see how often and for what you should be tested for. A lot of the time there are not any symptoms until it is too late. So it is so important to be checked on a regular basis.

Skin Cancer Skin cancer can develop in any part of the body, but ninety percent of skin cancer develops on parts of the skin that are mostly exposed to the sun. Such as, face, neck, back of hands, ears, arms, etc. Melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma are the three types of skin cancer discussed in this paper. Most skin cancer appears after the age of fifty, but the damage caused by the cancer is left unnoticed until certain stages. By the age of sixty-five, forty to fifty percent of Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer at some point in there life. Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.

The American Cancer Society, (ACS), estimates basal cell, and squamous cell carcinoma account for 1.3 million cases a year. Out of the 1.3 million people diagnosed, on average, nineteen people die. 1 Being exposed to direct sunlight is the leading factor in the development of skin cancer, especially during childhood. The sun's rays are the most damaging between the hours of 10: 00 a.m. and 3: 00 p.m. The sun can damage skin in as little as fifteen minutes, but it can take up to twelve hours to show the full effect of the damage. The more a person has blistering sun burns the higher risk the person has of developing skin cancer.

A person has a better chance of developing skin cancer if person has: light hair, pale skin, burns easily, or has freckles. Some symptoms of skin cancer are: change size, color, texture of any mole, or darkly pigmented area of skin. If a mole begins to itch, become tender or bleed, a sore that doesn't heal, or black spots underneath finger nails. If a person has any of these symptoms lasting more than two weeks, person should consult a physician immediately. When having regular checkups, your physician should always check your skin for any of these symptoms.

Skin cancer is divided into two stages. The first stage is local. During this stage the cancer affects only the skin. The second stage is metastasis. During this stage the cancer that started in the skin will spread to other parts of the body. A person born in the 1990's is twelve times more likely to develop melanoma than someone born in the 1940's.

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It is also the least common type of skin cancer. Melanoma develops in the pigment cells. Melanoma has been increasing faster than any form of cancer in the United States.

In the United States 48,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma every year, 7,700 of these people die. Melanoma accounts for more than seventy-five percent of all skin cancer deaths. The five year survival rate from the time of diagnoses of melanoma is eighty-eight percent, ninety-six percent if detected early. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common type of skin cancer. It develops in the upper layers of the epidermis.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It develops in the bottom layer of the epidermis. Early detection and treatment is very important. If symptoms arise it is best to go to a physician right away.

They will most likely perform a biopsy and have the sample sent in for testing. If cancer is found, the physician will help the patient choose the best possible treatment for the patient. 100% of all skin cancers could be cured if they were detected before they spread. 2 Skin cancer treatment usually involves some type of surgery.

When choosing a treatment the physicians have to look at the patients' heath. If the patient is not in top condition for surgery they may choose to use radiation or chemotherapy. In some cases they will use a mixture of two treatments. For example, they might perform surgery and then use chemotherapy to make sure they got all of the cancer.

This is usually only a choice if the cancer is advanced. They can also do laser therapy, cryosurgery, Moh's surgery, topical chemotherapy, and radiation. When performing surgery or curettage, they use an instrument with a very sharp spoon shaped edge, this is called a curette. After they numb the area they use the curette to scoop out the cancer. Laser therapy is used when the cancer is on the surface of the skin.

They use a laser that emits thin beam of light to remove and destroy the cancer cells. Cryosurgery is used to treat pre-cancerous cells. Liquid nitrogen is applied to the growth to freeze and kill the cancerous cells. After the skin thaws the dead cells fall off. This sometimes takes more than one treatment. It does not hurt during the process, but after words it may swell and be painful.

Moh's surgery is a special surgery. An anesthetic is used and the cancerous growth is shaved of one layer at a time. Each layer is checked under a microscope, this is repeated until the entire growth is removed. Topical chemotherapy is used when the cancer is limited to the surface of the skin. A cream with an anti-cancer drug in it is applied to the area for a few weeks.

Sometimes intense inflammation occurs. Skin cancer responds to radiation very well. This involves high energy rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from multiplying. This is usually used when surgery is impossible, like if the cancer was on the eyelid or inside of the ear. Several treatments may be needed.

Change in skin color or texture may appear years later. When a large growth is removed sometimes a skin graft is needed. They take a piece of skin from another part of the body and cover the area where the growth was removed. This can reduce scaring. The best way to prevent skin cancer is to stay out of direct sunlight as much as possible, or at least from 10: 00 a.m. to 3: 00 p.m. When direct sunlight can not be avoided sun block is needed.

Indoor tanning is just as harmful so that should also be avoided. Prostate Cancer The prostate is a gland the only males have. It is in the lower abdomen below the bladder. It is about the size of a plum and in the shape of a spade. The prostate wraps completely around the urethra, which is the tube that empties the bladder. The prostate is connected to the male reproductive organs.

The prostate makes prostatic fluid which is a part of semen. The prostate is not a vital organ. The cause of prostate cancer is unknown. One in every ten American men will develop prostate cancer before the age of 85.

And the numbers are still rising. 41,000 men died from prostate cancer in 1996.3 It is the leading cancer killer for men besides lung cancer. Age is a big risk factor. Every man over the age of forty is at risk.

Eighty percent of men that develop prostate cancer are over sixty-five years old. And ninety percent of deaths from prostate cancer are from men over sixty-five. Genetics also plays a part, if the person's father has or had prostate cancer then the person has twice the chance of developing prostate cancer. If there has been more people in the family that have had prostate cancer, than the risk continues to rise. Racial background affects the chances of a person developing prostate cancer. If the person is black, he has a thirty-two percent higher risk than a white man.

Europeans also have a higher risk, Asians have the lowest risk. 3 Where the person lives is also a contributing factor. If the person lives in a place with a lot of sunlight he has a lower risk than a person who lives somewhere without a lot of light. This is because Vitamin D helps prevent microscopic prostate cancer from progressing.

Early prostate cancer usually does not have any signs. One of the only signs is if the tumor forms very close to the urethra, which can interfere with urination. It can weaken the urinary stream, give a feeling that the bladder is not completely emptying, or may cause the need to urinate more often. At the age of forty men should start getting a Digital Rectal Examination, (D.R.E. ), every year. A D.R.E. consists of a physician inserting a gloved and lubricated finger into the rectum and pushing toward the pubic bone.

The physician will feel the prostate gland for any abnormal tissue. A D.R.E. takes about one minute. Digital Rectal Examinations only catch about fifty percent of prostate cancers. This is because a physician is not able to feel the entire gland, so if the tumor is on the other side of the gland it will be missed. For this reason it is smart to also get a Prostate Specific Antigen, (P.S. A), test.

PSA is a molecule that the prostate gland produces, low amounts can be found in the blood stream. When there is an infection or cancer in the prostate gland usually more PSA is released into the blood stream. So the blood is dawn and sent to a lab to determine if there are abnormal amounts in the blood. When a D.R.E. and a P.S. A are administered together the majority of prostate cancers are found. If something is found with either or both of these tests, a Trans Rectal Ultra Sound, (TRUS), will be performed.

During a TRUS a probe is inserted into the rectum and this probe emits high frequency sound waves, these bounce off the prostate and send the computer a picture of the prostate. Tumors show up on this picture, which helps in biopsies. They actually have a biopsy tool on the probe sometimes so that they can take a sample of any cancerous tissue they see while they are performing a TRUS. A TRUS can sometimes miss cancerous tissues, but it is usually pretty effective. There are other methods used besides the D.R.E., P.S. A, and TRUS, but they are not used as often. Most of the other methods are used to get a picture of the prostate.

They use a Bone Scan, Computerized Tomography, and an MRI. There are three main ways of doing a radical prostatectomy, which is removing the entire prostate gland and the surrounding tissue. The first is nerve sparing radical prostatectomy. It uses the retro pubic approach, which is an abdominal incision. The goal is to preserve the nerves needed for an erection, and urinating functions. It is hard to tell whether or not the cancer has spread to these nerves, so they cannot know until actually performing the surgery.

If the cancer has spread to these nerves, they will have to be removed. If the cancer has only spread to one side of the nerves, an erection is still possible. The second is radical retro pubic prostatectomy. The incision is made in the lower abdomen. This procedure is relatively close to radical prostatectomy.

The main difference is, in this procedure the doctors do not try to save the nerves. The nerves are removed. The third is radical perineal prostatectomy. In this procedure the incision is made in the perineum, which is the skin between the scrotum and the anus.

It is quicker but this procedure is not used for large tumors, and you cannot reach the lymph nodes. Sometimes a lymph node dissection is made before the radical perineal prostatectomy, to determine if the cancer has reached the lymph nodes. If the lymph nodes are cancerous, radical retro pubic prostatectomy is used. Before having any type of radical prostatectomy, the patient is required to donate blood because some men need blood transfusions during the procedure. The younger the person is when the procedure is performed the better the chances are of a quick and successful recovery. Another way of fighting prostate cancer is external beam radiation therapy, which is EBRT.

EBRT devices emit high energy x-rays, or gamma-rays, to damage the cancer cells. This stops the cancer cells from reproducing, or multiplying, in order to increase your chance of survival. But, it also damages your healthy cell at the same time. To have this procedure done your life expectancy must be at least seven to ten years. Surgery must not be an option, and the cancer must be confined in order for this treatment to be considered.

The procedure takes about ten to twenty minutes, with at least five to seven treatments in ten to twelve weeks. No hospitalization is needed. There is a much lower risk of impotence, and incontinence, with this treatment. Colorectal Cancer Colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in men and women. The colon has four layers, the inside layer is the mucosa, the second is the sub mucosa, then the muscle layer, and the outside layer is the serosa. Colorectal cancer starts in the end of the digestive tract.

Changes in the cells of the inner layer of the intestine cause abnormal growth. The four main types of the colon are the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid. If the person's mother, father, or siblings had or has colon cancer then the person has two or three times the chance of developing colo rectal cancer. 4 Exercising lowers the risk, especially if you have always been active. Being overweight can affect the risk because eating more calories than you burn causes the body to produce more cells. And if any of those cells are cancerous than they multiply at a very fast rate.

The more children a woman has the lower her risk is due to the fact that extra hormones are produced, but this increasing the risk of breast and liver cancer. Having more than 2 drinks of alcohol increases the risk, if there are already cancerous cells it can cause them to reproduce even faster. If the person has been smoking tobacco for thirty-five years or more then they have a higher risk. Twenty percent of large bowel cancers are in male smokers. The food you eat can contribute to your chances of developing colo rectal cancer. Eating a lot of, animal fat, protein, fried or very well done meat affect the chances.

This is because these foods contain certain substances that your colon absorbs. When these substances are absorbed it triggers extra bile to be released, the bile can irritate cells that make up the lining of the colon. Fiber, calcium, vitamin B and C, and fish lower the risk of developing colo rectal cancer. Most of the time there are no symptoms of colo rectal cancer.

Some of the symptoms for advanced colo rectal cancer are, change in bowel habit such as narrow stool, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, bloody stool, weight loss, abdominal pain, fatigue, and straining during bowel movement. Women and men at the age of fifty should start getting tested for colon cancer. A Fecal Occult Blood Test or FOBT should be every year. A Sigmoidoscopy should be done every five years. A Double Contrast Barium Enema or DCBE should be done every ten years.

A Colonoscopy should be done every ten years also. And a Digital Rectal Examination or DRE should be done along with all of these tests except the FOBT. A FOBT is a test for blood in the stool. A small amount of feces is placed on a special type of paper that has chemicals on it.

They apply another chemical on top of the feces and paper which causes the blood if any to turn blue. Since not all of the feces would have blood in it, it makes it hard to tell if there really is bleeding. A Sigmoidoscopy is a test in which a thin flexible tube is inserted into to anus with a camera and light on the end to look for any abnormalities in the colon. This takes about eight to twenty minutes to perform.

Before the procedure the patient would probably be asked to use an enema so that the colon is clean. For a DCBE the patient uses an enema filled with barium. The barium goes into the colon and the colon is x-raped. The barium allows for any growths to show up on the x-ray.

Then the barium is removed, air is pumped into the colon to inflate it and more x-rays are taken. A Colonoscopy is performed after a prior test shows positive results, or every ten years. The scope is around 5 feet long so that it can reach the entire large intestine. When questionable tissue is found a piece is cut off with a tool on the scope and examined. Before having this procedure done the patient must have only a liquid diet, and laxatives to cause bowel movements. They will be a lightly sedated.

The procedure should take around fifteen to forty-five minutes. There are three main ways to treat colon cancer, surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. Sometimes a combination is used for example; radiation would be used to reduce the size of a tumor and then surgery to actually remove it. Or sometimes surgery will be performed then chemotherapy to make sure that all of the cancerous cells are dead. Surgery is the most common treatment. Sometimes an actual section of the colon will be removed and then the two ends are stapled back together.

When this is the case the patient is not allowed to eat until normal sounds return. Very rarely the entire colon will be removed this is called a colostomy. When a colostomy has been performed there is an opening in the abdomen in which feces passes through and then into a bag. This is permanent. This happens only three percent of the time; the cancer has to be very advanced. They also use radiation therapy to stop the cancer from spreading or coming back after other treatments.

The best way to prevent colon cancer is to eat right and get regular check ups. Eating and exercising fight against unhealthy cells, and getting the right tests done catch any cancer that does appear. Early detection increases the chances of a better recovery and decreases the chance of a recurrence. Lung Cancer Lung cancer is the top cancer killer for both men and women.

Ninety percent of the deaths are in people who smoke. In America 164,000 people are diagnosed, and 157,000 of these people die from lung cancer. In Canada 20,500 people are diagnosed and 17,400 die. 1 Lung cancer is very dangerous because it spreads fifty percent of the time. The left lung has two lobes and the right lung has three. Cigarettes account for ninety percent of lung cancer.

The other ten percent is accounted for by second hand smoke, radiation, arsenic, and asbestos. Heredity is also a factor; some can not fight off certain chemicals that cause cancer. There have been studies that show that women may be twice as likely to develop lung cancer. A gene called GRP R has been found that causes abnormal cell growth, this cell is more active in women, and this would explain why women are more susceptible to lung cancer. 5 Lung cancer symptoms are a lot like those of lung problems, there may be headaches, dizziness, chest pain, hoarseness, and shortness of breath. There are four main types of lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, , small cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma starts in the middle of the lung or bronchial tubes, twenty percent of lung cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. Forty percent of lung cancers are which develop in the outer edges of the lung and lining of the bronchial tubes. Another twenty percent of lung cancers are small cell carcinomas. Small cell carcinomas spread very fast because of their small oat shaped cells. And ten percent are large cell carcinomas.

They have large abnormal cells, and develop in the outer edges of the lung. There are a few different detection methods when looking for lung cancer. They may do x-rays of the chest to look for tumors. Or if they know that there is a tumor they may choose to perform a computerized tomography or CT scan, which can give the exact location of the tumor. A bronchoscopy may be performed. During a bronchoscopy a bronchoscope or thin fiber optic tool is lead to the lungs through the mouth.

A bronchoscope also has a cutting tool just in case there is any suspicious tissue. When treating lung cancer they have to look at all the factors, the age and health of the patient, tumor stage, and tumor location. There are three main kinds of treatments for lung cancer. The first is called Resection.

During resection only a small portion of the lung is removed by surgery. The second treatment is called a Lobectomy, which is when an entire lobe is removed by surgery. The third treatment is called a Pneumonectomy; an entire lung is removed during this surgery. Often after surgery the patient will be put on chemotherapy treatments or radiation therapy treatments. This is needed because lung cancer reoccurs very often.

Breast Cancer Breast cancer occurs when a tumor forms in the glands of the breast. It is the most common type of cancer besides skin cancer in women today. The ACS estimates that in America 182,800 people are and 41,000 of those people die from breast cancer. In Canada only 18,000 are diagnosed and 5,400 die from breast cancer. 1 One out of every eight people in the United States develops breast cancer at one point in their life. 5 Breast cancer does affect men but a woman is one-hundred times more likely to develop it.

Breast cancer is usually dominant in developed countries. The breast is made up of milk glands called lobules, lymphatic tissues, and fatty ducts that connect the glands to the nipple. Hormones like estrogen make epithelial cells during puberty. A milk gland is made up of about fifteen to twenty lobes which are made up of epithelial cells. Lobes open up into ducts which meet up with the milk sinuses through the nipple. Before a woman ovulates estrogen is released and helps cell growth.

This can cause tenderness. If there is no pregnancy then the new cells die. This process repeats until there is a pregnancy in which the cells will continue to grow and the milk glands will start to function. We do not know what causes breast cancer but we do know some of the risk factors. Starting menstruation early, menopause late, not having children until later in life, or never giving birth can affect the chances of developing breast cancer. These factors are due to the extended period of time of estrogen exposure in the body.

Other risk factors are having a family history of the disease, not exercising, and drinking more than two alcoholic beverages a day. Someone who drinks two alcoholic beverages a day increases their risk by fifty percent. Three quarters of breast cancer patients did not have any symptoms. A lump is a symptom, but the breast is normally lumpy anyway to a certain degree. So the breast has to be checked often for new lumps, if any are found then a physician's opinion is needed right away.

There are three basic exams when it comes to detecting breast cancer. There is a Mammogram, a Clinical breast examination, Self breast examination. A mammography is a lose does x-ray; it is especially good because it can catch small lumps. In this procedure the breast is pressed between to sheets of plastic to that more tissue exposed, and then two x-rays are taken.

Seventy-six to ninety-four percent of breast cancers are found. It also shows cysts, so once something is detected a biopsy is needed. A woman should start getting mammograms ever year starting at the age of forty. Self breast examinations are very important.

They should be performed once a month. If a mammogram turns out to be positive for a tumor the next step is to get a biopsy to see if it is malignant or benign. If it is malignant, then more tests are needed to find out if it has spread. When choosing which kind of treatment that is chosen depends on certain factors. The factors that need to be considered are the age of the patient, the heath, stage of the cancer, and the cancer's location. The treatments are usually surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination.

One third of breast cancers are cured by surgery. There are several different types of surgery for treating breast cancer. There is the partial mastectomy or lumpectomy which leaves most of the breast unaffected by surgery. There is also the radical mastectomy in which the entire breast is removed. Sometimes radiation is used after the surgery to ensure that they got all of the cancer. When chemotherapy is used the patient will take cancer killing drugs.

Sometimes the patient will need bone marrow transplants because these drugs kill stem cells which produce red blood cells. Chemotherapy is also used after surgery sometimes but mostly in advanced cases. The best ways to prevent breast cancer are to not drink more than two alcoholic drinks a day, and to exercise and eat right. If there is a family history of breast cancer there are tests to see if the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 genes are present. Fifty to sixty percent of women that have this mutated gene develop breast cancer by the age of seventy. If these genes are present then extra precautions can be taken to help lower the risk of developing breast cancer.

Some women with these genes decide to have a radical mastectomy before the cancer appears. 5 Ovarian CancerACS estimates that 23,000 American women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. 14,000 of these 23,000 women die. In Canada 2,600 are diagnosed and 1,500 die from ovarian cancer. 1 Ovarian cancer is the deadliest cancer of the female reproductive system.

A woman has a 1.4 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer. If the same woman has two relatives with ovarian cancer than her chances of developing ovarian cancer rises to fifty percent. The ovaries are two almond sized glands on the sides of the uterus. The glands produce eggs and hormones that regulate pregnancy and menstruation. More white women develop ovarian cancer than black women but the survival rate is higher for white women.

Most cases of ovarian cancer are in women sixty years of age or older. What you may eat plays a big role. For every ten grams of saturated fat that a person eats, increases their risk by twenty percent. For every ten grams of vegetable fiber that a person eats it decreases their risk by thirty-two percent.

And the more children a person has, if they take birth control, or have had a hysterectomy lowers their risk of developing ovarian cancer. 1 Ovarian cancer is hard to detect in early stages, there are not many symptoms until it has already started to spread. When it has spread some of the symptoms are: having an enlarged abdomen, having abdominal pain, weight loss, bowel problems, nausea, and bleeding that is not related to your menstruation cycle. If a tumor is suspected then a blood sample will be taken and tested. Ovarian tumors release a chemical called CA-125 into the blood stream. An ultra sound will be performed to see if it reveals any abnormalities.

And finally a biopsy will be performed. 5 The treatment chosen depends on the patients age, overall health, stage of the tumor, and location of the tumor. If the tumor is in earlier stages then a surgery will be performed to remove one or two of the ovaries, and sometimes the fallopian tubes will be removed also. If the tumor is in advanced stages then chemotherapy will probably be used. Lymphatic CancerACS estimates that 55,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with lymphatic caner each year, 24,000 of these people die.

Since the 1970's development of lymphatic cancer has increased by eighty percent. 1 Lymph nodes or, lymph glands, are bean shaped organs containing large numbers of white blood cells, imbedded in connective tissue. Lymph nodes filter out infectious and toxic material, and destroy it. These glands, when infected, tend to swell and can become very painful. The swollen glands are usually located on the neck, in the armpit, and in the groin. The risk of developing lymphatic cancer is increased with a genetic condition, infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or as a result of taking immune suppressing drugs.

Most people who develop lymphatic cancer have no risk factors. The symptoms of lymphatic cancer are swelling, shortness of breath, a dry cough, kidney pain, fever, sweats, weight loss; most of these are also symptoms of the flu. If lymphoma cells grow into tumors in places such as the kidneys, or liver, they most stop working properly. If there is any suspicion of lymphatic cancer a biopsy will be performed. A CT scan will show the location of a tumor and if it has spread or not.

When choosing a treatment for lymphatic cancer the following are taken into consideration: type of lymphoma present, how fast it grows, and how far it has spread. Patients over the age of sixty are less likely to be cured of lymphatic cancer. Chemotherapy is usually the primary source of treatment for lymphoma, because it so easily spreads throughout the body. Sometimes radiation therapy is used after chemotherapy to help prevent relapses. Several recent discoveries have improved treatment for lymphoma.

These include, antibody therapy, which monoclonal antibodies are used to destroy lymphoma cells without as much damage to the normal cells. There is also a vaccine therapy, which helps stimulate the patients immune system to help fight off lymphatic cancer. These treatments are still experimental and very expensive. In patients who have reoccurring lymphoma, higher doses of chemotherapy or radiation may be necessary in an attempt to kill the cancerous cells. These treatments also destroy the blood producing cells in the patient's bone marrow. This sometimes requires a bone marrow transplant.

NOTES 1. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 20012. web 3. Prostate Cancer written by David G. Bostwick M.D. Published by Villard Books in 1996.4. Colorectal Cancer written by Bernard Levin M.D. Published by Villard Books in 1996 Call #: NF 616.995.

Women and Cancer written by Carolyn D. Runowicz M.D. Published by Villard Books in 1999.