Risk factors for primary liver cancer include

* Having hepatitis
* Having cirrhosis, or scarring of liver
* Being male
* Low weight at birth

Cancer symptoms can include a lump or pain on the right side of your abdomen and yellowing of the skin. However, you may not have symptoms and the liver cancer may not be found until it is advanced. This makes it harder to treat. Liver cancer treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or liver transplantation.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 87 percent of all lung cancers diagnosed. Currently, the best treatment for stage I NSCLC is surgery or stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT), often followed by chemotherapy if the lesion was larger than 3 cm or radiotherapy and chemotherapy if the surgical margin or hilar or mediastinal nodes were positive at the time of operation. The five-year survival outcomes are very high, with 50 to 67 percent of these patients living at least five years after diagnosis if patients had a well staged stage I NSCLC. When surgery is not an option because the patient has heart problems or other complications, treatment options include varying types of radiation therapy and chemotherapy, alone or in combination.

In this study, doctors at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston wanted to see if conventional radiation therapy worked as well as the newer three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (also called 3D-CRT) at curing patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer. 3D-CRT was created to improve upon older types of radiation therapy by allowing doctors to aim several radiation beams at the tumor to shape or “conform” the radiation to the lung. The idea is that tailoring each beam allows doctors to give more radiation to the tumor while keeping it away from nearby healthy tissues.

Between 1978 and 2003, 200 patients with medically inoperable stage I NSCLC were treated with radiation therapy alone. Eighty-five received 3D-CRT while 115 received conventional therapy. Thirty-six percent of patients who received 3D-CRT lived five years after diagnosis compared to 10 percent who received the conventional therapy. Their causes of deaths were more related to intercurrent disease rather than cancer. Local failure was significantly reduced by 3D-CRT compared to conventional RT.

“This study proves that three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy improves outcomes for patients with medically inoperable stage I non-small cell lung cancer,” said Ritsuko Komaki, M.D. “Patients with this type of lung cancer should ask their radiation oncologist about 3D-CRT.” Dr. Komaki is a radiation oncologist and professor at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

The prostate is normally about 3 cm long (slightly more than 1 inch) and lies at the neck of the bladder and in front of the rectum.

The prostate surrounds the urethra, which is a tubular structure that carries sperm and urine out of the penis.

It produces a thin, milky fluid that is added to the sperm at the time of ejaculation.

Older men often have an enlarged prostate, which is a noncancerous condition called benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) that causes urinary symptoms.
Cancer occurs when normal cells undergo a transformation in which they grow and multiply without normal controls.

As the cells multiply, they form a mass called a tumor.

Tumors are cancerous only if they are malignant. This means that they invade neighboring tissues because of their uncontrolled growth.

They may also travel to remote organs via the bloodstream.

This process of invading and spreading to other organs is called metastasis.

Tumors overwhelm surrounding tissues by invading their space and taking the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive and function.
Almost all prostate cancers arise from the secretory glandular cells in the prostate. Cancer arising from a glandular cell is known as adenocarcinoma. Therefore, almost all prostatic cancers are prostatic adenocarcinomas.
In the United States, cancer of the prostate is a common malignant cancer in men, second only to lung cancer. About 200,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, and about 30,000 men die of the disease each year.

Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system

Prostate Cancer Symptoms

Most men with prostate cancer have no symptoms. This is particularly true of early prostate cancer.

• Most prostate cancers are discovered incidentally when a digital rectal exam is performed.
• A digital rectal exam is part of a thorough regular health examination. Digital refers to finger.
• During the digital rectal exam, the examiner inserts a gloved and lubricated finger in the rectum to feel the prostate for abnormalities.

Symptoms usually appear when the tumor causes some degree of urinary blockage at the bladder neck or the urethra.

• The usual symptoms include difficulty in starting and stopping the urinary stream, increase in frequency of urination, and painwhile urinating.
• The urinary stream may be diminished (urinary retention), or it may simply dribble out.
• Even after urination, there is a sense of bladder fullness because the bladder has not been fully emptied.

Less common symptoms are blood in the urine (hematuria), painful ejaculation, orimpotence (inability to have an erection).

• These 3 symptoms are uncommon in early stages of the disease. They usually occur when the cancer is advanced.
• As the cancer advances to cause a greater blockage, bladder function may deteriorate further.
• Men with such advanced cancers sometimes experience recurring urinary tractinfections.

Despite these symptoms, many men do not seek medical care until the cancer has spread. Symptoms of metastatic disease include fatigue, malaise, and weight loss. Spread to the bones causes deep bone pain, especially in the hips and back, and bone fractures from weakening of the bone.

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options:

Prostate Seed Implant – Minimally invasive surgery lasts 1-2 hours with a possible overnight stay; most return to normal activities in a few days.

Salvage Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy is administered orally, or by a computerized pump, or by frequent injections at a doctor’s office.

Minimally Invasive Surgery – Cryosurgery takes about 2 hours with a possible overnight admission.

Shrinking the Prostate – Surgical castration patients return home the day of the surgery. Treatment is given orally or by injection.

Radiation Treatment – Radiation therapy generally requires 5 treatments per week over 6-8 weeks.

Prostate Removal – Length of prostatectomy surgeries, recovery times, and hospital stays vary according to specific prostatectomy procedure.

Monitoring and Care – Expectant therapy includes regular visits to a doctor for prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests and digital rectal exams.

Chemically, asbestos minerals are silicate compounds, meaning they contain atoms of silicon and oxygen in their molecular structure.

Asbestos minerals are divided into two major groups: Serpentine asbestos and amphibole asbestos. Serpentine asbestos includes the mineral chrysotile, which has long, curly fibers that can be woven. Chrysotile asbestos is the form that has been used most widely in commercial applications. Amphibole asbestos includes the minerals actinolite, tremolite, anthophyllite, crocidolite, and amosite. Amphibole asbestos has straight, needle-like fibers that are more brittle than those of serpentine asbestos and are more limited in their ability to be fabricated

Smokers who are also exposed to asbestos have a greatly increased risk of lung cancer

Asbestos Lung Cancer Among Workers

Studies show an increase in lung cancer among workers exposed to asbestos. This increase is particularly significant among asbestos–exposed workers who smoke. A dose–response relationship exists both for the degree of asbestos exposure and the amount of cigarette smoking. Search Asbestos and Cigarettes.

Asbestos Lung Cancer Explained

Most asbestos lung cancer starts in the lining of the bronchi, the tubes into which the trachea or windpipe divides. However, asbestos lung cancer can also begin in other areas such as the trachea, bronchioles (small branches of the bronchi), or alveoli (lung air sacs). Although lung cancer usually develops slowly, once it occurs, cancer cells can break away and spread to other parts of the body.

The two most common types of lung cancer are small cell lung cancer (SCLC), in which the cancer cells are small and round, and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in which the cancer cells are larger. Sometimes a cancer has features of both types, and is called mixed small cell/large cell cancer.

Non–small cell lung cancer accounts for almost 80% of lung cancers. Small cell lung cancer accounts for about 20% of all lung cancers (American Cancer Society, Lung Cancer). Although the cancer cells are small, they can multiply quickly and form large tumors. The tumors can spread to the lymph nodes and to other organs.

Early–stage asbestos lung cancer may be asymptomatic (without symptoms). The methods used to diagnose asbestos lung cancer include imaging tests, biopsies, and taking phlegm (spit) samples. Search Asbestos Lung Cancer Diagnosis.

Asbestos can cause the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath, wheezing, or hoarseness.
A persistent cough that gets worse over time.
Blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up from the lungs.
Pain or tightening in the chest.
Difficulty swallowing.
Swelling of the neck or face.
Loss of appetite.
Weight loss.
Fatigue or anemia.

Cancer gives you no symptoms or signs that exclusively indicate the disease. Every complaint for cancer can explain a harmless condition as well. If you have symptoms, however, you should see a doctor for further evaluation. Some common symptoms are as follows:

Cancer may affect people at all ages, even fetuses, but the risk for most varieties increases with age. Cancer causes about 13% of all human deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, 7.6 million people died from cancer in the world during 2007. Cancers can affect all animals.

Nearly all cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells. These abnormalities may be due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents. Other cancer-promoting genetic abnormalities may be randomly acquired through errors in DNA replication, or are inherited, and thus present in all cells from birth. The heritability of cancers are usually affected by complex interactions between carcinogens and the host’s genome. New aspects of the genetics of cancer pathogenesis, such as DNA methylation, and microRNAs are increasingly recognized as important.

Genetic abnormalities found in cancer typically affect two general classes of genes. Cancer-promoting oncogenes are typically activated in cancer cells, giving those cells new properties, such as hyperactive growth and division, protection against programmed cell death, loss of respect for normal tissue boundaries, and the ability to become established in diverse tissue environments. Tumor suppressor genes are then inactivated in cancer cells, resulting in the loss of normal functions in those cells, such as accurate DNA replication, control over the cell cycle, orientation and adhesion within tissues, and interaction with protective cells of the immune system.

Diagnosis usually requires the histologic examination of a tissue biopsy specimen by a pathologist, although the initial indication of malignancy can be symptoms or radiographic imaging abnormalities. Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As research develops, treatments are becoming more specific for different varieties of cancer. There has been significant progress in the development of targeted therapy drugs that act specifically on detectable molecular abnormalities in certain tumors, and which minimize damage to normal cells. The prognosis of cancer patients is most influenced by the type of cancer, as well as the stage, or extent of the disease. In addition, histologic grading and the presence of specific molecular markers can also be useful in establishing prognosis, as well as in determining individual treatments.