Showing posts with label tumor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tumor. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Blood In The Stool - When Misdiagnosed As Hemorrhoids By A Doctor May Result In Medical Malpractice

Patient: "Doctor, I am seeing blood in my stool when I go to the bathroom."

Doctor: "Don't worry about it, you probably just have hemorrhoids."

Tragically, a year or two later this patient learns that the bleeding was actually caused by a cancerous tumor in the colon. He or she now has advanced colon cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes or even to a distant organ, such as the liver or the lungs.

Doctors generally recommend that if an individual has rectal bleeding or blood in the stool, testing should be done to rule out the possibility of colon cancer. The test that is most commonly performed to rule out colon cancer is called a colonoscopy, which involves the use of a flexible tube with a camera on the end to visualize the inside of the colon. If growths (polyps or tumors) are found, they can be sampled (by biopsy) and possibly removed during the procedure. The samples (biopsies) are then examined for the presence of cancer. If no cancer is found, then colon cancer can often be ruled out as a source of the blood. Unfortunately, all too often, an individual's doctor will simply attribute the blood to hemorrhoids without referring the individual to a specialist (a gastroenterologist) and without ordering any testing, such as a colonoscopy, to rule out colon cancer.

Colon cancer is a disease that progresses over time. As colon cancer advances it becomes more difficult to treat successfully. For example, when the disease is in stage 1 or stage 2, it is still contained inside the wall of the colon. Treatment for these stages usually involves surgery to remove the tumor and surrounding parts of the colon. Chemotherapy is often not usually part of the treatment of stage 1 and stage 2 colon cancer unless it is given to a person who is young as a preventative measure. With treatment, the individual with stage 1 or stage 2 colon cancer has an excellent chance of surviving the disease for at least five years after diagnosis. The relative 5-year survival rate is over 90% for stage 1 and 73% for stage 2. By the time the colon cancer progresses to stage 3, it has spread outside the colon and treatment requires both surgery and chemotherapy (possibly with other cancer affecting drugs as well). The relative 5-year survival rate for stage 3 colon cancer is 53%. If the colon cancer progress to stage 4, the relative 5-year survival rate is reduced to approximately 8%. Treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other medications may or may not still be effective. When treatment is no longer effective, colon cancer is fatal. Approximately 48,000 people will die in the U.S. from colon cancer this year alone.

It is thus critical that colon cancer be diagnosed as early as possible. Unfortunately, all too often doctors simply assume that blood in the stool or rectal bleeding is the result of hemorrhoids, even after multiple complaints by the patient. Instead of referring the patient to a specialist (a gastroenterologist) or ordering tests, such as a colonoscopy, to rule out colon cancer, they tell the patient that there is nothing to worry about. If the patient died have colon cancer and it is not detected until one or two years later, it may progress to a stage 3 or a stage 4 by the time of diagnosis. At this point, the colon cancer may be much more advanced than it was at the time the patient complained of rectal bleeding or blood in the stool. As a result, the patient now has a much reduced chance of surviving the colon cancer. Under such circumstances, the failure of a doctor to rule out colon cancer at the time of the patient's complaints may constitute a departure from the accepted standard of medical care resulting in a medical malpractice claim.

Contact a Lawyer Today

You need to contact a lawyer immediately if you or a family member have been diagnosed with advanced colon cancer after having complaints of rectal bleeding or blood in the stool ignored by a doctor. This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal (or medical) advice. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based upon any information at this web site without seeking professional legal counsel. A competent lawyer with experience in medical malpractice can assist you in determining whether you may have a claim for the delay in the diagnosis of the colon cancer There is a time limit in cases like these so do not wait to call.

Joe Hernandez is an Attorney focused on complex injury cases, including Medical Malpractice cases. You can learn more about Colon Cancer Symptoms and Medical Malpractice Cases at his website. http://www.colon-cancer-law.com/symptoms.shtml

Monday, August 11, 2008

The Different Types Of Breast Cancer Tumors

By Roselyn Capen

Breast cancers have various types, and knowledge on all of them is necessary for defining what treatment you need. Naturally, different types of breast cancers will have different causes, show different symptoms and will need different treatments than other types of breast cancer.

Breast cancer can either be invasive or non-invasive. Non-invasive breast cancers, also called in situ breast cancers, have a very high survival rate. Cancer cells in non-invasive breast cancers are confined to the site where the cancer originated, and have not spread to other organs. The most common non-invasive breast cancer is Ductal Carcinoma In Situ or DCIS, which develops in the breasts' milk ducts and does not metastasize. The best and easiest treatment for DCIS is mastectomy, and patients are cured fully, most of the times.

Metastasis occurs when the cancer cells do not remain in the site where they initially develop, but spread to other parts of the body and start malignant cell formation there. When this happens, the cancer is called Invasive breast cancer. The two commonest types of invasive breast cancer are Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and Invasive Lobular Carcinoma.

Seventy to eighty percent of all breast cancer cases are those of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Formation of cancer cells in the milk ducts of the breasts, which break through the ducts and spread to surrounding breast tissues and other parts of the body, is called Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. When such cells start forming in the milk lobules, and not ducts, and spread out, it is called Invasive Lobular Carcinoma. A distinguishing feature is that a lump is not necessarily formed in ILC, and usually the breast thickens as a whole.

All forms of breast cancer do not originate in ducts or lobes. Breast tissues, fibrous connective tissues, blood vessels and lymph vessels can also be the originating site for breast cancer. It is also possible that the cancer does not start in the breast, but spreads to the breast from cancer cells of another cancer. However uncommon these types are, it's always good to be informed. Inflammatory breast cancer, Paget's disease of the breast, metaplastic breast cancer, angiosarcoma, osteosarcoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma are some uncommon types of breast cancer.

Inflammatory breast cancer is very aggressive, and can originate and start developing cancer cells so rapidly, that within a week, the cancer becomes very advanced and dangerous. This is the reason it is important to know everything about these rare types; you just do not know for sure if they can attack you.

Doctors usually grade invasive breast cancers. They compare the affected breast tissue with a normal tissue, and grade depending on how much the affected tissue resembles a normal one. This process makes it easier to decide the course and procedures for treatment. Grades start from I to III, Grade I implying the cancer is not very advanced, and Grade III suggesting that the breast tissue has lost its normal functioning ability and that the cancer has progressed highly.

As you can see, knowing about all types of cancers can help you recognizing symptoms early on and advise you on how to make your treatment more effective, along with giving you proper knowledge and information on your treatment.

About the Author:

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

What Are The Treatments For Breast Cancer

By Roselyn Capen

There are several options for treatments, when the disease is breast cancer. People, today, can choose from the many options available, to defeat breast cancer, unlike several years ago. There are at least three types of treatments for any stage of breast cancer.

Certain forms of surgeries, like biopsies, are used to diagnose breast cancer. These focus on specific areas of the body, like the breasts and lymph nodes, and not the whole body. When cancer is positively diagnosed, the patient has two options. Either she can opt for complete removal of breasts, as is the case with mastectomy, or removal of just a part of the breast, like in partial mastectomy. These two surgeries are most effective when the patient has small malignant tumors. Also, they are effective when the patient has had large tumors previously which are now small and have been successfully shrunken by chemotherapy.

Systemic therapy is good in order to get rid of any cells that may have spread to other parts of the body. If the cancer has spread and has formed tumors elsewhere this treatment can help shrink the cancer and hopefully lead to a remission, which would be ideal for everyone.

This treatment is mainly decided by the characteristics of the cancer. The more aggressive the caner is then it will have a higher risk of spreading outside that area and into other areas where treatment can be harder to do. Treatments are dependent on the status and harmful effects of cancer. The more advanced the stage, the harder it is to treat it, since it's more likely that the cancerous cells are not confined to just the breasts, then. This means the treatment has to extend outside the breasts, and can make the procedure complicated and tiresome.

Therapies are taken by either a pill or even sometimes by injection. Chemotherapy can be administered by either way and is used to destroy cancer cells that it finds. Immune therapy is widely unknown and not used as much as the other therapies just because it is new. It works the same way that getting a flu shot works, it makes the body think that something is attacking it, so that it was use its defense systems which are the while blood cells to fight the infection, or whatever the problem may be.

Many people are turning to what is known as Complementary therapy. The principle behind Complementary therapy is that it restores the body's natural health so that the body becomes capable of fighting infections on its own. Complementary therapies include yoga, massages, chiropractic, herbal remedies' intake and acupunction. People who have tried this therapy are more than just satisfied by the results, and they can reaffirm that it makes them feel a lot better while they're surviving the disease. There is absolutely nothing to lose by trying this therapy, only a chance to feel better and healthier.

About the Author:

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Cancer Treamtment - Chemotherapy, an option for Breast Cancer

By Meng Y

Experts agree that for most breast cancer cases, chemotherapy is not the first treatment of choice. But for those for whom it is appropriate, it can provide effective, long term results.

Chemotherapy consists of using drugs to combat cancer. With the increasing sophistication of pharmacology, those drugs are safer, more effective and more targeted, with fewer side effects than ones of the past. Today, it's common to use a drug 'cocktail' in order to offset side effects and provide a more effective treatment.

The drugs used typically interfere with the cells' ability to divide, since that is one of the chief characteristics of cancers, an uncontrolled growth from abnormal cell division in breast cancer tissue.

Usually Chemotherapy is utilized when an individual's cancer has be advanced and requires a treatment that is more rigorous so that it more efficiently and more effectively eliminates cancerous cells. Clumps of cancer cells can grow and spread to other areas. When this occurs it is often indicative that chemotherapy should be utilized.

Cancers can come back. The causes of this is not currently understood. In some instances it could be that the original cancer was not completely eradicated. It could also be the case that the true cause that originally generated the cancerous tumor is still both active and present, causing the cancer to show itself. Whatever the reason is, Chemotherapy is typically used.

One of the major complications associated with chemotherapy is the side effects. Even though the drugs are beginning to improve, chemotherapy treatments can from time to time affect an individual's healthy cells in addition to the ones that are cancerous.

Since some of that function is to fight disease such as the cancer itself, a double harm occurs. Radiation therapy has a similar drawback in that it compromises the immune system, which is part of what helps to fight the cancer and its effects.

Often an individual's digestive system is negatively affected. They might experience nausea, hair loss, and even have poor bone marrow composition. Bone marrow is used for different bodily functions. Most importantly it assists in the production of both white and red blood cells.

Someone undergoing chemotherapy might experience heart, kidney, and other organ damage. This is extremely uncommon because the cells in these organs aren't capable of dividing as frequently under normal instances. In some studies individuals lost their memory and concentration. Older females often find that their reproductive system changes, causing premature menopause.

Still, drugs in use today are better tolerated and more targeted that those of previous generations. They may help cut off vessels that supply blood to the tumors which encourage the growth of just such vessels to feed themselves. There are a variety of chemotherapy regimens, with each one designed for the individual patient and his or her circumstances.

Though never pleasant, chemotherapy provides an important tool in the fight against what was once an almost always fatal disease. Today, long term survivability is greater than ever with fewer long-term side effects. Chemotherapy is one of the reasons.

About the Author:

Breast Cancer Treatments That Work

By Gerardo Hunnell

The treatments for breast cancer vary according the stage, type, location and size of the cancer. The non-surgical treatments are hormone therapy, chemotherapy and radiation. Surgeries for breast include the removal of a tumor, mastectomy (breast removal) and the removal of lymphatic tissue.

The Beginning Stage

If a woman has very small blockages in her mammary glands called "lobular carcinoma", usually nothing is done except to watch her very carefully. Some women who have lobular carcinoma choose to have both of their breasts removed because the chances of getting breast cancer in the other breast are very slight. In the case of ductal carcinoma, women can often have only a lumpectomy - the lump is removed without having to remove the breast. She will then be treated with radiation therapy. Again, some women also choose to have both of their breasts removed as a preventative.

The Middle to Late Stages

In these stages, women are often treated with chemo, radiation and hormones before surgery is attempted. If the cancer is larger and is spreading quickly, a mastectomy is done followed with the removal of the lymph nodes in the axillary area. Radiation, chemotherapy and hormone therapies are used after this major surgery.

Chemotherapy is often given before a woman has surgery to see if the tumor will shrink. If it does, there is a better chance that she will not have to have her entire breast taken off.

The non-invasive treatments are almost always used regardless of whether or not surgery is done. Treating the cancer intensively makes survival more likely.

Once the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, there is no choice but to remove them from the axillary area. A mastectomy is also performed in this case.

The Last Stage of Cancer

In the fourth stage, it is too late to operate with any success. A woman may be treated with radiation, hormones and chemotherapy to allow her to live a while longer. Many women don't have these therapies and instead choose to be given supportive care. Supportive care offers pain management and stress therapies for a woman who is dying. Nothing is done to prolong her life but instead, the focus is on the quality of her life in the short time she has to live.

If the cancer is treated and reoccurs or if some of the cancer is missed, a mastectomy and lymph tissue removal is followed by therapies if the cancer has not reached the last stage. Otherwise, supportive care is recommended.

Though it seems unlikely, men have been known to get breast cancer. They are treated in the same manner as women are when this happens.

About the Author:

Cancer Treatment - Surgery as Breast Cancer Treatment Option.

By Meng Y

No person wants to undergo surgery. Luckily, breast cancer surgery that is performed today is targeted than it has been in the past. Individuals today do not experience as much scarring and are able to quickly recover while also receiving treatment that is effective enough to lower the odds of recurrence.

Diagnostic tools are more precise and the disease is better understood. Traditional options still largely apply, but employing them is no longer automatic. Each case is unique and individually analyzed. The breast cancer patient has choices and is an active participant in the decision making process.

One of the most common choices made is known as a lumpectomy. Just what it sounds like, a lumpectomy is the surgical removal of the lump that constitutes the cancer tumor. Even here there are a wide range of choices. The amount of tissue removed around the lump varies. Surgeons make a judgment call about how much is needed to reduce the chances of the cancer returning.

Depending upon where the tumor is located, its size, and how long it has been growing a surgeon might have to remove one or more lymph nodes during the lumpectomy process. Lymph nodes are bean-sized glands that are typically oval in shape. They operate as part of a system that operates throughout the body. Lymph nodes are necessary in the immune system. Lymph nodes help to fight off bacteria and the invasion of foreign bodies.

Once cancer has reached a lymph node it can easily and quickly be spread throughout the body by way of the blood vessels that connect lymph nodes together. When and if this occurs cancers become extremely difficult to treat. Sometimes chemotherapy or even radiation treatments are necessary at this stage.

To minimize the likelihood of that happening, surgeons will sometimes remove one or more lymph nodes near a cancerous tumor. Then, lab tests are performed to check for any spread of the cancer. Here again, each case is unique and the options and likely actions should be discussed with all the physicians involved.

Like other cancers, breast cancer develops in different stages. The stages are determined by the location, size and type of tumors that the cancer is comprised of. When breast cancer reaches a stage where it is necessary surgery may extend beyond a lumpectomy. The patient and the doctor might decide that a segmental or partial mastectomy is necessary.

In that procedure more breast tissue is removed than in a simple lumpectomy. In many cases radiation therapy may be part of the follow up treatment regimen, often extending for six or eight weeks. The goal is to ensure that all the cancer was removed, or that any remaining malignant tissue the surgeon was unable to get is destroyed by the radiation.

In more extreme cases, which are fortunately recommended much less often today, a mastectomy may be performed. Most or all of the breast is removed. When no lymph nodes are taken, the procedure is called a simple or total mastectomy. When all the breast tissue is removed, along with the nipple and lymph nodes in the armpit, the surgery is termed a modified radical mastectomy.

When the surgeon has to go further and remove the accompanying chest wall muscles the procedure is called a radical mastectomy. Fortunately, this extreme action is rarely called for today. Even when required, reconstructive surgery or prosthetics can often restore appearance almost entirely.

Hospital stay varies with the type of treatment, ranging from outpatient, same-day release for a simple lumpectomy to a week for more intensive procedures. Explore all your options and research the effects carefully. Ask questions and don't be put off by too-busy physicians. Finding one willing to answer questions at length in layman's terms is the first step toward proper treatment.

About the Author:

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Could Kennedy’s Tumor Have Been Caught 5 Years Ago?

Sudbury, ON – Senator Edward Kennedy’s brain tumor, known as glioma, is incurable. His doctors admit that at this point even surgery and follow up radiation won’t stop the spread of the cancer.

“I’m pretty confident they could have caught Kennedy’s cancer 5 years ago,” says Dr. Anthony Martin author of “Medical Crisis: Secrets your doctor won’t share with you.”

Dr. Martin did not treat the senator, but believes Kennedy was experiencing warning signs for half a decade before his May 20th seizure.

“His seizure was prompted by the size of the tumor, but before it got that large the bell would have been ringing ‘check the engine – something’s wrong!”

It takes more than 5 years for most cancers to grow to the size of the tip of a ball point pen. By the time cancer is found by routine tests or massive symptoms (like a seizure) the patient may have missed precious time.

“Your car has dashboard warning lights to alert you that the oil is low or you’re out of gas,” says Dr. Martin, “the body has those same warning signals. You just have to know how to read them.”

As a U.S. Senator Kennedy had access to the best health care and routine exams, but Dr. Martin says the doctors wouldn’t have been running the tests they should have.

“By the time routine blood tests come back abnormal, the disease has already spread. It takes quite a long time for tests to show the body has broken down. That is precious time for someone with a growing cancerous tumor they don’t know about.”

Dr. Martin says Kennedy would likely have been experiencing a high free radical count, fatigue, inflammation and an acidic PH level. All those things could have been ‘caught’ by a urine test, two blood tests and a saliva test.

Most doctors know these warning signs, but few sit back to contemplate how these symptoms work together to affect your health.

“More than half of people who make appointments with their doctors complain of fatigue,” says Dr. Martin, “but doctors rarely bother to ask why you’re tired or how that affects long-term health. They (doctors) wind up prescribing sleeping pills or dealing with the short-term affects of exhaustion. They don’t stop to think that lack of energy is a big, red, flashing warning sign that something is seriously about to go wrong with the body.”

Dr. Martin suggests once you’ve got a realistic idea of where you stand you can start giving yourself the antidote. “Change your attitude, change your diet, change your exercise habits and change your supplements.”

“So much of what Americans are dying from these days is 100-percent preventable,” says Dr. Martin. He believes breast cancer and prostate cancer are among the diseases that don’t need to be fatal.

It is too late to catch Senator Kennedy’s cancer in the early stage. It remains to be seen how he will recover – if he recovers at all.

About the Author

Dr. Martin is a certified as a Natural Medicine Practitioner as well as a qualified Chiropractor. He is a respected and renowned nutraceutical consultant, nutritional practitioner, author and medical spokesperson. He is a world famous research leader in the fields of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and environmental toxins and has spoken at seminars across the United States, Canada, France, China and South Korea. Dr. Martin is also a frequent guest on television and radio across the US and Canada, where he also hosts his own radio show “Ask The Doctor.” He heads up his own practice, The Martin Clinic, in Sudbury, Ontario and is passionate on educating people about the importance of proper nutrition. His says his personal purpose in life is to help people regain their health. Dr. Anthony Martin’s website can be found at http://www.drmartin.ca/

Article Source High Profile Articles 3