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).

Carcinoma of the Pancreas

Carcinoma of the Pancreas

Pancreatic carcinoma has lately become the fourth primary cause of cancer-related death in the Unites States, with an annual incidence and mortality approaching 40,000 instances per 12 months. Delay in diagnosis, relative resistance to chemotherapy and radiation, and intrinsic biological aggressiveness manifested by early metastatic illness all lead to the abysmal prognosis connected with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Pancreatic cancer malignancy generally occurs after age 50 many years and increases in incidence with age, with most sufferers diagnosed between 60 and 80 many years of age. It's somewhat more frequent in men than in ladies. Autopsy series document that pancreatic cancer may be determined in as much as 2% of individuals undergoing a postmortem examination.
Many risk factors for pancreatic adenocarcinoma have been determined. Cigarette smoking has the strongest general association and is believed to account for one-quarter of cases diagnosed. The association in between cigarette smoking and pancreatic cancer malignancy is thought to become related to N-nitroso compounds existing in cigarette smoke.
Exposure to these agents leads to pancreatic ductal hyperplasia, a feasible precursor to adenocarcinoma. Other elements connected with an elevated danger of pancreatic adenocarcinoma include a higher dietary intake of saturated fat, exposure to nonchlorinated solvents, and the pesticide dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT), although the overall contribution of these elements is likely small.
Diabetes mellitus has also recently been determined as a danger element for the illness. Chronic pancreatitis increases the danger of developing pancreatic adenocarcinoma by 10- to 20-fold. The role of other dietary factors (coffee, higher body fat consumption, and alcohol use) is much debated. Diets containing fresh fruits and vegetables are believed to be protective.