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Showing posts with label Pancreatic Cancer Treatments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pancreatic Cancer Treatments. Show all posts

Colon Cancer Survival Rate - How High Are Your Chances?

Colon Cancer is a nasty deadly disease and the colon cancer survival rate may just be as nasty once you get to know about them. Depending on the stage where you have been diagnosed, your colon cancer survival rate may either be acceptable or downright shocking. If it's mind-blowing, it may be better to have a heart attack, for when the cancer spreads and metastasizes; the following symptoms may be the worst bodily pain you'll ever experience.

By definition, your colon cancer survival rate is usually based on a five-year period and is mainly determined by the stage of your cancer. From worldwide statistics, your chances of having a long-term prognosis is more likely if the cancer has been detected at the earliest stage possible which is stage zero or the asymptomatic stage. Here comes the despicable thing-like most cancers, colon cancer is a silent killer. You'll never know you have it until it's around its second stage (from which you begin experiencing mild inconvenience upon defecating, digestion, etc). At this time, the treatment plan will no longer be able to completely defeat the cancer and bring you back to your normal life. However, it can impede the fast proliferation of the cancer cells, therefore increasing your colon cancer survival rate to more years than without the treatment.

If the cancer has been detected at the early stage (around 1-2), the chances of surviving until 5 years or more is more likely, especially if the proper treatment regimen is done to you. At this stage, surgery, chemo, and major lifestyle changes must be done and made to prolong your prognosis.

Colonoscopy is very much advisable for stages 1-3, when the cancer has not yet reached the other vital organs of the body and is only confined to your colonic tract. Stage 4 is when the cancer has metastasize to other parts of the body outside the colon-in most cases, the cancer is likely to spread towards your liver first. This is because of the anatomical proximity of the liver to the colon. Once the other parts are affected, your colon cancer survival rate may drastically drop to 20-30 percent even with surgery and other treatments. Thus, you can just imagine how relevant it is to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Generally, over the past few years, cancer research have grown and improved quite substantially compared to the old days. The average survival rate of cancers is now a bit higher than before due to more innovative treatment programs and better knowledge of cancers.

The latest updates from American Cancer Society this year shows that in a five-year colon cancer survival rate:

• Stage 1 has about 74%
• Stage 2 has about 37% to 67%
• Stage 3 has about 28% to 73%
• Stage 4 has about 6%

Note: You may see that stage 3 has much higher survival rate than stage 2. The American Cancer Society states that they have not known the reason behind this yet but this is a factual outcome of the statistical analysis.

By Mert Ozge

Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer

Sunday, May 23, 2010 4:48:00 AM Posted by Cancer Centers 0 comments

The pancreas is a spongy, tube-shaped organ about 6 inches long. The head of the pancreas is on the right side of the abdomen. It is connected to the duodenum, the upper end of the small intestine. The narrow end of the pancreas, called the tail, extends to the left side of the body.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most serious of cancers. It develops when cancerous cells form in the tissues of your pancreas — a large organ that lies horizontally behind the lower part of your stomach. Your pancreas secretes enzymes that aid digestion and hormones that help regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates.

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the pancreas. Each year about 33,000 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with this condition, and more than 60,000 in Europe. Depending on the extent of the tumor at the time of diagnosis, the prognosis is generally regarded as poor, with few victims still alive five years after diagnosis, and complete remission still extremely rare

Signs and Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer
Loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss. Unintended weight loss is a common sign of pancreatic cancer. Weight loss occurs in most types of cancer because cancerous (malignant) cells deprive healthy cells of nutrients, and this is especially true in pancreatic cancer.

As the cancer grows and spreads, pain often develops in the upper abdomen and sometimes spreads to the back. Cancer of the pancreas can also cause nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, and weakness.

Jaundice is caused by a buildup of bilirubin (a substance produced in the liver) that causes a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. Jaundice may also cause brown urine and clay-colored stools. The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are generally vague and can easily be attributed to other less serious and more common conditions. This lack of specific symptoms explains the high number of people who have a more advanced stage of disease when pancreatic cancer is discovered.

Treatment for Pancreatic cancer
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. You may receive radiation treatments before or after cancer surgery, often in combination with chemotherapy. Or, your doctor may recommend a combination of radiation and chemotherapy treatments when your cancer can't be treated surgically.

Surgery may be done to remove all or part of the pancreas. Sometimes it is necessary to remove a portion of the stomach, duodenum, and other nearby tissues. This operation is called a Whipple procedure. In cases where the cancer in the pancreas cannot be removed, the surgeon may be able to create a bypass around the common bile duct or the duodenum if either is blocked.

Endoscopic stent placement: A stent (flexible tube) is placed in the bile duct to drain the bile into the small intestine or outside the body as needed. This is done when the tumor is blocking the bile duct and there is a build up of bile to prevent further build up.

Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells but also damage some normal cells. Short-term side effects might include nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, hair loss, and mouth sores. Because chemotherapy can damage the bone marrow, where new blood cells are made, blood cell counts might become low.

Pancreatic Cancer Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis
Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of your pancreas, a large organ that lies horizontally behind the lower part of the stomach. Pancreatic cancer occurs most commonly in men between the ages of 35 and 70, it is the fourth most common cause of cancer mortality (behind lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer). Pancreatic cancer is usually an adenocarcinoma and it usually arises from the pancreatic duct cells which make up the major part of the pancreas.

Cause of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is caused by damage to genes, but it is not known exactly why this damage happens. Evidence suggests that it is linked to exposure to carcinogens such as; cigarettes, food high in fat and protein and food additives. Possible predisposing factors are chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus and chronic alcohol abuse.

There is some evidence that people who don't eat many fresh vegetables and fruits are more at risk from pancreatic cancer. Being overweight may cause a small increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer. Some industrial chemicals called chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents have been linked to pancreatic cancer, although they are unlikely to be a major factor. Other chemicals and exposures that have been linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in some studies include pesticides, radiation, nickel, chromium and iron.

The average age of onset of pancreatic cancer is between 70 to 80 but heavy smokers and heavy drinkers present with pancreatic cancer an average of seven to 10 years earlier than the rest of the population.

Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer
The most common are weight loss, abdominal or low back pain, jaundice and diarrhea. Other more general effects include; fever, skin lesions, depression, anxiety and a premonition of impending death. Ascites ( fluid retention in the abdomen ) can be a sign of pancreatic tumors.

Diagnosis
It is very difficult to diagnose pancreatic cancer as the pancreas is so deep within the body and symptoms vary depending on the exact location of the tumor in the pancreas and which cells or function of the pancreas is affected by the tumour or cancer. Pancreatic cancer typically spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it is a leading cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer specialists believe that anyone over 50 who develops diabetes and has unexplained weight loss should be investigated for other pancreatic disease. Courvoisier sign defines the presence of jaundice and a painlessly distended gallbladder as strongly indicative of pancreatic cancer and may be used to distinguish pancreatic cancer from gallstones.

Treatment
Treatment for pancreatic cancer depends on the stage and location of the cancer as well as on your age, overall health and personal preferences. The first goal of pancreatic cancer treatment is to eliminate the cancer, when possible. Pancreatic cancer is relatively resistant to medical treatment and the only potentially curative treatment is surgery. Radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer can palliate pain but does not affect the patients survival.

Gemcitabine was approved by the US FDA in 1998 after a clinical trial reported improvements in quality of life in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Management of pain and other symptoms is an important part of the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.

Prognosis
Pancreatic cancer often has a poor prognosis, even when diagnosed early and the median survival period from the time of diagnosis until demise is arguably the worst of any of the cancers. The best predictors of long term survival after surgery are a tumor diameter of less than 3 cm, no nodal involvement, negative resection margins, and diploid tumor DNA content.

Due to difficulties in diagnosis, the aggressive nature of pancreatic cancer and the limited systemic treatments available, the five-year survival rate for patients who have pancreatic adenocarcinoma is only about 5%.


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