Cancer - malignant neoplasms

Cancer is not just a disease. Cancer begins when genetic changes impair the bodies orderly process. These cells may form a mass called a tumor.

As a cancerous tumor grows, the bloodstream or lymphatic system may carry cancer cells to other organs of the body. During this process which is known as metastasis, the cancer cells grow and may develop into new tumors.

Types of cancer:

Carcinomas, Sarcomas, Leukemias, Lymphomas

Can cancer be prevented?

A substantial proportion of cancers are preventable, and all cancers caused by abusive cigarette smoking and heavy use of alcohol could be averted.

The World Cancer Research Fund has estimated that up to one-third of cancer cases that occur in economically developed countries like the U.S. are related to being overweight and poor nutrition levels. These are all preventable.

Some cancers are related to infectious agents such as human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) - these may be prevented through behavioral changes and use of protective vaccinations and antibiotic treatments.

Many of the skin cancer cases that are diagnosed annually could be prevented by protecting skin from excessive sun exposure and avoiding indoor tanning.

Anxiety Disorders

Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. But anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with this kind of disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. Examples include panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder, Specific phobias, generalized anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorder is an umbrella term that includes different conditions:

1) Panic disorder:  You feel terror that strikes at random. During a panic attack, you may also sweat, have chest pain, and feel palpitated. Sometimes you may feel like you’re choking or having a heart attack.

2) Social anxiety disorder:  It is also called social phobia, this is when you feel overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. You fixate about others judging you or on being embarrassed or ridiculed.

3) Specific phobias:  You feel intense fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights or flying. The fear goes beyond what’s appropriate and may cause you to avoid ordinary conditions.

4) Generalized anxiety disorder:  You feel extreme, unrealistic worry and tension with little or no reason.

So learning more about the specifics of a disorder and helping family and friends to understand better can also be helpful. Avoid caffeine, which can worsen symptoms, and check with your doctor about any medications.

Lung cancer facts

Lung cancer is the most common cause of death due to cancer in both men and women throughout the world. Statistics from the American Cancer Society estimated that in 2016 about 224,000 new cases of lung cancer in the U.S. occurred. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, approximately 6.5% of men and women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer of the lung at some point in their lifetime based on data from 2011-13.

1) Cigarette smoking is the main risk factor for development of lung cancer.

2) Passive exposure to tobacco smoke also can cause lung cancer.

3) The two types of lung cancer, which grow and spread differently, are Small Cell Lung Cancers (SCLC) and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers (NSCLC).

4) The stage of lung cancer refers to the extent to which the cancer has spread in the body.

5) Treatment of lung cancer can involve a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy as well as newer experimental methods.

6) The general prognosis of lung cancer is poor because doctors tend not to find the disease until it is at an advanced stage. Five-year survival is around 54% for early stage lung cancer that is localized to the lungs, but only around 4% in advanced, inoperable lung cancer.

7) Smoking is the most vital measure that can prevent the development of lung cancer.

Immune System Disorder

Immunodeficiency disorders disrupt your body’s ability to defend itself against bacteria, viruses, and parasites. There are two types of immunodeficiency disorders: those you are born with, and those that are acquired. Anything that weakens your immune system can lead to a secondary immunodeficiency disorder.

Immunodeficiency disorders are either congenital or acquired. A congenital, or primary, disorder is one you were born with. Acquired, or secondary, disorders you get later in life. Acquired disorders are more common than congenital disorders.

Your immune system includes the following organs:

Spleen, tonsils, bone marrow, lymph nodes

These organs produce and secrete lymphocytes, they are white blood cells classified as B cells and T cells. B and T cells fight invaders called antigens. B cells release antibodies specific to the disease your body detects while T cells destroy foreign or abnormal cells.

Treatment:

The treatment for each immunodeficiency disorder will depend on the specific conditions. For example, AIDS causes several different infections. Your doctor will prescribe medications for each infection. And you may be given an antiretroviral to treat the HIV infection if required.

Treatment for immunodeficiency disorders commonly includes antibiotics and immunoglobulin therapy. Other antiviral drugs, amantadine and acyclovir, or a drug called interferon are used for treatment of the viral infections caused by immunodeficiency disorders.

If your bone marrow isn’t producing enough lymphocytes, your doctor might order a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant.

Say no to Malaria, Say it to all

Malaria is a disease that is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. This year, WHO’s theme for World Malaria Day is ‘End Malaria for Good’, an initiative to lessen the number of malaria cases.

Symptoms:

There are several symptoms that can aware you of malaria contamination. However, it is best to get a blood test done to make sure it is in fact malaria and not something else. Sometimes, it takes time for the parasite to show up in the blood test and so a repeat blood test is done after 12 hours to check if the parasite is truly present. Here are the common symptoms associated with malaria.

Patient is likely to suffer from:

Fever, Shivering, Sweating, Chills, Fatigue, Headache, Nausea

Treatment:

Malaria can be a severe and potentially fatal disease; the treatment should be initiated as soon as possible. Patients who have severe P. falciparum malaria or who cannot take oral medications should be given the treatment by continuous intravenous infusion. In addition, primaquine is active against the dormant parasite liver forms (hypnozoites) and prevents relapses. Primaquine should not be taken by pregnant women or by people who are deficient in G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase). Patients should not take Primaquine until a screening test has excluded G6PD deficiency.

Diphtheria - A serious bacterial infection

A type of microscopic organisms called Corynebacterium diphtheria causes diphtheria. The condition is normally spread through person-to-person contact or through contact with objects that have the bacteria on them, such as a cup or used tissue. If you’re around an infected person when they sneeze, cough, or clean out their nose, you may also contract diphtheria. Even if an infected person doesn’t show any signs or symptoms of diphtheria, they’re still able to transmit the bacterial infection for up to six weeks after the initial contamination.

Complications

The worst possible complication of diphtheria is respiratory failure or death due to pseudo membrane development that blocks the airway. Other possible complications include cardiac problems such as rhythm disturbances, myocarditis, heart block, secondary pneumonia, septic shock, and disease of different organs, central nervous system, or heart tissue.

Treatment

The disease may remain manageable, but in more extreme cases lymph nodes in the neck may swell, due to which breathing and swallowing becomes more hard. People in this phase should seek immediate medical attention, as obstruction in the throat may require intubation or a tracheotomy. Abnormal cardiac rhythms can occur early in the course of the illness or weeks later, and can lead to heart failure. Diphtheria can also cause paralysis in the eye, neck, throat, or respiratory muscles. Patients with severe cases are put in a hospital intensive care unit and given a diphtheria antitoxin. Since antitoxin does not neutralize toxin that is already bound to tissues, delaying its administration is associated with an increase in mortality risk. Therefore, the decision to administer diphtheria antitoxin is based on clinical diagnosis, and should not await laboratory confirmation.

Onychomycosis – Nail Disease

Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nails. It is the most common disease of the nails and constitutes about half of all nail abnormalities.

The most common symptom of a fungal nail infection is the nail becoming thickened and discoloured. There is usually no pain or other bodily symptoms unless the disease is severe. People with onychomycosis may experience significant psychosocial problems due to the appearance of the nail, particularly when fingers – which are always visible , rather than toenails are affected.

MedicalCare

Systemic treatment is always required in proximal subungual onychomycosis and in distal lateral subungual onychomycosis involving the lunula region. A combination of systemic and topical treatment increases the cure rate. Because the rate of recurrence remains high, even with newer agents, the decision to treat should be made with a clear understanding of the cost and risks involved, as well as the risk of recurrence.

Topical antifungals

The use of topical agents should be limited to cases involving less than half of the distal nail plate or for patients unable to tolerate systemic treatment. Agents available in the United States include ciclopirox olamine 8% and efinaconazole 10% nail solutions.

Oral therapy

The newer generation of oral antifungal agents has replaced older therapies in the treatment of onychomycosis. They offer shorter treatment regimens, higher cure rates, and fewer adverse effects.