Skin Cancer - Melanoma

Skin Cancer - Melanoma

Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that metastasizes easily making it often fatal if not treated early enough. Bear in mind, however, that all statistics of melanoma come from tissue that has been examined after some form of excisional treatment or biopsy. Melanoma becomes more common with increasing age but it still appears in younger people.
A melanoma can develop in any area of the skin or from an existing mole. A typical melanoma appears as a small darkened area of skin similar in appearance to a mole. It is recognisable as being different to a mole in four different ways known as the ABCDE of melanoma: Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter, Evolving.
Asymmetry: Most early melanomas are asymmetrical: a line through the middle would not create matching halves. Common moles are round and symmetrical.
Border: The edges of melanomas are often uneven and may have scalloped, notched, or blurred edges. A mole has a smooth, well-defined edge.
Color: The pigmentation of a melanoma is often not uniform, with more than one shade of brown, tan, or black. Moles are usually a single shade of brown
Diameter: A melanoma is usually larger than a mole, continues to grow and is often at least the size of a pencil eraser (about 6mm, or 1/4 inch, in diameter).
Evolving: Change in size, shape and color shade.
Types of Melanoma
Melanomas are described according to their appearance and behavior. Those that start off as flat patches (i.e. have a horizontal growth phase) include:
• Superficial spreading melanoma (SSM)
• Lentigo malignant melanoma (sun damaged skin of face, scalp and neck)
• Acral lentiginous melanoma (on soles of feet, palms of hands or under the nails - under the nails is called subungual melanoma)

Colon Cancer - What Are the Causes and Risk Factors?

Colon Cancer - What Are the Causes and Risk Factors?

This cancer starts as small growths on the inside of the colon. There are several factors to determine your chances of getting colon cancer. Some you can change, and some you can't.
The 10 Things That You Cannot Change
Younger adults do get this type of cancer, but as you age, those risks increase. More than 90 percent of the people diagnosed are over the age of 50. If you have a history of colorectal polyps, colorectal cancer, if your polyps are large or if you have had a lot of them, your at an increased risk. Even if you have all the polyps removed, the chances of developing new cancers in other parts of the colon or rectum are greater.
If cancer runs in the family, especially the immediate family, the age when they got it and how many other family members are affected, may also contribute to your chances. If you suffer from IBD, inflammatory bowel disease, then you need to screen more often. There is a 5 percent chance of you getting this disease from an inherited genetic form.
Racial, and ethnic backgrounds, especially among African Americans and Ashkenazi Jews, have the highest incidence. Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Turcot Syndrome, hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer all contribute to you getting this disease.
Six Things You Can Change
Some things you can do to reduce your chances of getting this disease are simple. A high fat, high calorie, and high protein diet increases your chances. By exercising and eating more fruits and vegetables, you will improve your odds of not getting cancer. If you smoke, stop, and if you drink, have no more than two alcoholic beverages per day. Links to colon cancer have also been made to people who work the night shift or had previous treatments for other cancers.

Cheilitis Glandularis Is a Common Developmental Anomaly

Cheilitis Glandularis Is a Common Developmental Anomaly

Cheilitis granulomatosa is a chronic granulomatous condition, characterized clinically by soft, painless, nonpitting swelling of the lower lip. In some cases, the lip lesions may also present scaling, fissuring, cracking or vesiculation, etc. Cheilitis granulomatosa is sometimes considered to be the milder form of "Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome".
Microscopy shows a noncascjp graiiuloma with epithelioid cells and Langhan cells, within the connective tissue stroma. Perivasive and paravascular aggregation of lymphocytes, plasma cells and histiocytes are also common. There is no specific treatment for this condition.
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is characterized by small melanotic patches on the oral mucosa, which are associated with similar lesions around the mouth, nose and eyes, etc. Skin pigmentations usually fade away after puberty but the oral pigmentations persist. The other important feature of the syndrome is the occurrence of multiple intestinal polyps, which may cause pain and obstruction very often.

How Do I Avoid Pancreatic Cancer?

How Do I Avoid Pancreatic Cancer?

Cancer is a condition which most people dread. There are certain types of cancer which respond very well to modern chemotherapy and have excellent chances of recovery. Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer is not one of those cancers which is amenable to treatment. In most cases, the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer comes very late, when the disease has already progressed and involved the surrounding organs. This makes prevention a very important part of keeping oneself healthy. This article discuses the answer to the question how can I avoid pancreatic cancer.
To understand how can I avoid pancreatic cancer, the first step is to understand the risk factors for this condition. There are many factors that are associated with an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The most important links start with smoking. It has been observed that smoking cigarettes is a very important risk factor which contributes to increased risk of pancreatic cancer. You will want to kick the smoking habit to ensure protection not just against pancreatic but also lung and oral cancers. Being obese or overweight also contributes to an increased susceptibility to cancer of the pancreas. You should maintain the ideal weight for your age and height by embarking on a regular fitness program and sticking to a healthy diet. Diet may also play an important part as pancreatic cancer can be associated with diets which are rich in fats and meat.
Other factors which influence the answer to the question how can I avoid pancreatic cancer come from the family history. You have to check if your family has a positive history of pancreatic cancer. This might be among first or second degree relatives. There is also an influence of conditions like chronic pancreatitis. If you have a history of repeated attacks of inflammation of your pancreas, this increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer to a great extent. Some families have a predisposition to chronic pancreatitis and this factor must be looked into in detail. One risk factor for pancreatitis itself and indirectly affecting the risk of developing pancreatic cancer is alcohol intake. There is clinical evidence to prove that alcohol induced pancreatitis is positively correlated with a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer.Alcohol intake is also associated with liver cirrhosis which has been implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer. Family history of genetic syndromes that can increase cancer risk, including a BRCA2 gene mutation, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Lynch syndrome and familial atypical mole-malignant melanoma (FAMMM).