Here a 5 minutes video for you about breast cancer.
A total of 26,089 cases of cancer were diagnosed in Peninsular Malaysia throughout the year 2002.
A statement from the Ministry of Health, based on the National Cancer Registry (NCR), said Wednesday that the cases comprised 11,815 males and 14,274 females. The cumulative risk of cancer in Peninsular Malaysia was 18 percent, that is one in 5.5 Malaysians could be expected to get cancer in their lifetime.
Taking into account cases not registered by the NCR, the risk would be higher with one in four Malaysians getting cancer in their lifetime. Cancer occurred at all ages with a marked increase in males aged 40 and above and from the age of 30 in females.
The most common cancer in males was lung cancer, followed by nasopharyngeal cancer, colon cancer, leukaemia and rectal cancer, while in females it was breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer and leukaemia.
In comparison with other Asian countries, Malaysia had a higher incidence of cancer of the cervic, which ranked second among all female cancers. In other developed countries cancer of the cervix ranked much lower among female malignancies or even less common in Western countries.
Even though lung cancer was in sixth place in females, caution had to be exercised in its interpretion because the registration of lung cancer was incomplete, the statement said.
It wasn't too long ago that colorectal cancer was a taboo topic, but today men and women across the country are speaking out about their personal experiences. Among them are national celebrities from all walks of life - government, theatre, sports and television. They understand that talking about colorectal cancer and getting screened for this highly preventable disease saves lives.
What are these public figures saying? If they can talk about it, so can you!
Read more...
WASHINGTON Jan 7 - Women who smoke may have a far higher risk of breast cancer than those who do not, or those who once smoked but quit, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
California women who said they were current smokers had a 30 percent greater incidence of breast cancer than non-smokers, the researchers reported in this week's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Peggy Reynolds and colleagues at the California Department of Health Services studied 16,544 women between 1996 and 2000.
During that time, 2,005 of them were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
Women who described themselves as current smokers had a 30 percent higher risk of being among the cancer patients. Those who started smoking before age 20, who began smoking at least five years before their first full-term pregnancy, and who smoked the most or the longest all had higher risks.
Women who had once smoked but quit did not have a higher risk of breast cancer, Reynolds' team found. Passive smoking also did not seem to raise breast cancer risk in the California study.
Breast cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in the United States, after lung cancer and colon cancer. It killed 40,000 women in 2003, according to the American Cancer Society.
The researchers said their study helps shed light on an area where studies have had conflicting results. They now plan to run genetic tests on the women in the study to see if a genetic mutation may make certain women more susceptible to the cancer-causing effects of tobacco smoke.
Tobacco smoke carries several known carcinogens, and elements of tobacco smoke have been found in the breast fluid of smokers, they noted. But tobacco could also affect estrogen in ways that, theoretically at least, could lower breast cancer risk. The study tends to refute that notion. - Reuters
Though one in every four Malaysians runs the risk of getting cancer in their life time and that there is still no miracle cure for the dreaded disease, many people are not bothered by these facts.
It is estimated that each year more than 40,000 Malaysians suffer from various types of cancer, especially breast cancer, cervix cancer, prostate cancer amongst men and leukaemia, a type of blood cancer amongst children.
Cancer is also the number two killer disease after heart disease with 26,089 death reported in Peninsular Malaysia last year. Four years ago, the disease was only at number five in the list of killer diseases in the country.
According to the First National Cancer Registry Report, among the main causes of the hike in cancer cases is the Malaysian way of life and habits, a finding similar to that of a group of researchers at Harvard University, USA.
The American study found that seven out of ten types of cancer were determined by way of life, with 30 percent caused by smoking, 30 percent from the food consumed and 10 percent resulting from bad habit such as no exercise. In other words, the best way to prevent cancer is to do away with the unhealthy practices such as smoking, consuming alcohol and bad eating habits.
Topping the list of a healthy life-style is the type of food consumed. Eating fatty and high cholestoral food is certainly out, while eating less fruits and fibres can invite some types of cancer. Excessive consumption of alcohol increases the risk of getting cancer of the liver, esophagus and also the large intestine, while the danger of smoking is well-known.
Last July, Minister of Health Datuk Chua Jui Meng shocked the nation when he revealed that Malaysians had the most number of nasal cancer (Nasopharyngeal) cases when compared with other countries in the world.
Likewise, the Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Women and Family Development, Datuk Mastika Junaidah Husin, told the Dewan Negara that the new culture of women smoking in the country had contributed to the increase of possible cervical cancer.
Besides the long-term effects of smoking such as irregular menstruation and miscarriages, nicotine in the breast milk of women who smoke can also cause the sudden death syndrome among newborn babies. The smoking culture among women including teenagers are said to be the result of the advertising blitz of the cigarette industry, giving the perception that smoking is something that is "glamorous and cool" when in actual fact these women are the ideal victims of these cigarette companies out to cash in on their rising purchasing power.
So, one early and easy step to prevent cancer is not to start smoking or for smokers, to stop smoking.
Numerous studies have found that when smokers quit the deadly habit, their risk of contracting the killer disease will drop markedly, be they liver cancer, mouth cancer, lung cancer or cancer of the esophagus, urinary bladder, kidney and pancreas. The studies have also found that there is a high correlation between obesity and cancer.
Ageing women whose weight are 35 percent above normal have 55 percent chances of getting cancer of the womb, breast, cervix, endometrial, ovary and gall bladder, while overweight men have 40 percent chances of getting cancer of the large intestine and prostates.
Regular exercise is a healthy way of life and among its many benefits is keeping cancer, not to mention the dreaded heart diseases, at bay. Depending on your age, a regular brisk walk for the senior citizens for example, could do wonders to their health.
President of Malaysian Cancer Council (Makna) Datuk Mohd Farid Ariffin said periodical examination, at least once a year, can help to detect cancer early.
"There is a better chance of treating a disease if it is detected at an early stage, compared to one which has reached a critical stage. Therefore, if you detect any sign of any disease, especially cancer, do not delay in getting a health check-up to prevent your health from deteriorating further," he added.
Farid said many cancer cases referred to Makna showed that the patients had neglected the early signs of the disease until it was too late to treat the disease which normally results in death.
"We are very disappointed with this attitude, for example, a patient for breast cancer, there is an early sign such as lumps in the breast, while for cancer of the cervix, there is early signs such as smell and bleeding but most patients are too embarrassed to see a doctor and when they do, it is too late for them and this is the cause of many deaths," he said.
Worse still, there is a very low awareness and knowledge about cancer and most people do not give much thought about it. He said it was for this reason that Makna has been relentless in organising awarenss campaigns on this dangerous disease for the past 10 years.
"The level of awareness of the people is increasing but it has not been fully accompanied by changes in their way of life ... in the rural areas or in the cities, the food consumed are almost similar. "They have not changed their way of life and eating habits; everybody is giving more importance to their work, they exercise less so much so their immune system becomes very weak," he explained.
Besides the awareness campaign, Makna which is a non-profit organisation is also active in conducting research on cancer and its cure and also the latest method of treatment.
Farid said the research programmes are being jointly carried out with institutions of higher learning such as Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Medical Research Institute (IMR) and the Malaysian Dietician Association. Farid said he welcomed the government's proactive measures in handling the problems of the killer disease in the country.
The goverment, besides organising awareness campaigns and research, has also taken steps to reduce the risks of gettting cancer through smoking by implementing strategies in controlling the usage of tobacco, besides legal actions.
Since 1989, immunisation programme for hepatitis B has been carried out to prevent liver cancer among children, while the pap smear programme to prevent cancer of the cervix was introduced for women. But there is only so much that the authorities, doctors and NGOs can do for you. The last but most important measure against cancer or any other killer diseases is for the individual Malaysian to change to a healthy life-style. - Bernama
The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow, divide and die. Sometimes, cells mutate (change) and begin to grow and divide more quickly than normal cells. Rather than dying, these abnormal cells clump together to form tumors. If these tumors are malignant (cancerous), they can invade and kill your body's healthy tissues. From these tumors, cancer cells can metastasize (spread) and form new tumors in other parts of the body. By contrast, benign (noncancerous) tumors do not spread to other parts of the body.
Nasopharyngeal cancer is a malignant tumor that develops in the nasopharynx. The nasopharynx is the area where the back part of your nose opens into your upper throat. This is also where tubes from your ears open into your throat.
Who might get nasopharyngeal cancer?
Nasopharyngeal cancer is rare. It most often affects people who are between 30 and 50 years of age. Men are more likely to have nasopharyngeal cancer than women. You are most likely to get this cancer if you or your ancestors came from southern China, particularly Canton (now called Guangzhou) or Hong Kong. You are also more likely to get this cancer if you are from a country in Southeast Asia, like Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand.
What causes nasopharyngeal cancer?
No one knows for sure what causes nasopharyngeal cancer. Eating salt-preserved foods (like fish, eggs, leafy vegetables and roots) during early childhood may increase the risk of getting this form of cancer. The Epstein-Barr virus may also make a person more likely to get nasopharyngeal cancer. This is the same virus that causes infectious mononucleosis (also called "mono"). You may also inherit a tendency to get nasopharyngeal cancer.
What are some signs of nasopharyngeal cancer?
If you have nasopharyngeal cancer, you might first notice a lump in your neck. You might have trouble hearing in one ear, or you might have nosebleeds, headaches, or ringing in one or both ears. You might notice a change in the way one side of your face feels.
How can my doctor tell if I have nasopharyngeal cancer?
Your doctor might use endoscopy to try to see the cancer. For this exam, a thin tube with a very small camera on the end is put into your nose. This lets your doctor get a closer look at the cancer tumor.
During endoscopy, your doctor might take a small piece from the tumor. This is called a biopsy sample. The piece of tumor is then sent to a lab where it is looked at under a microscope. Your doctor might also send you to have MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). This exam takes a special "picture" of your nasopharynx so that your doctor can see how big the tumor is.
How is nasopharyngeal cancer treated?
Radiation is quite successful in treating cancer in the nasopharynx. You might also need to have chemotherapy (medicines used to treat cancer). Radiation and chemotherapy can make you feel tired and sick to your stomach. You also might have headaches for a while after radiation treatment.
Many people with nasopharyngeal cancer can live normal lives. Cure is more likely if the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
Source: American Academy of Family Physicians
Nasopharyngeal cancer is a malignant tumor that develops in the nasopharynx. The nasopharynx is the area where the back part of your nose opens into your upper throat. This is also where tubes from your ears open into your throat.
Who might get nasopharyngeal cancer?
Nasopharyngeal cancer is rare. It most often affects people who are between 30 and 50 years of age. Men are more likely to have nasopharyngeal cancer than women. You are most likely to get this cancer if you or your ancestors came from southern China, particularly Canton (now called Guangzhou) or Hong Kong. You are also more likely to get this cancer if you are from a country in Southeast Asia, like Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand.
What causes nasopharyngeal cancer?
No one knows for sure what causes nasopharyngeal cancer. Eating salt-preserved foods (like fish, eggs, leafy vegetables and roots) during early childhood may increase the risk of getting this form of cancer. The Epstein-Barr virus may also make a person more likely to get nasopharyngeal cancer. This is the same virus that causes infectious mononucleosis (also called "mono"). You may also inherit a tendency to get nasopharyngeal cancer.
What are some signs of nasopharyngeal cancer?
If you have nasopharyngeal cancer, you might first notice a lump in your neck. You might have trouble hearing in one ear, or you might have nosebleeds, headaches, or ringing in one or both ears. You might notice a change in the way one side of your face feels.
How can my doctor tell if I have nasopharyngeal cancer?
Your doctor might use endoscopy to try to see the cancer. For this exam, a thin tube with a very small camera on the end is put into your nose. This lets your doctor get a closer look at the cancer tumor.
During endoscopy, your doctor might take a small piece from the tumor. This is called a biopsy sample. The piece of tumor is then sent to a lab where it is looked at under a microscope. Your doctor might also send you to have MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). This exam takes a special "picture" of your nasopharynx so that your doctor can see how big the tumor is.
How is nasopharyngeal cancer treated?
Radiation is quite successful in treating cancer in the nasopharynx. You might also need to have chemotherapy (medicines used to treat cancer). Radiation and chemotherapy can make you feel tired and sick to your stomach. You also might have headaches for a while after radiation treatment.
Many people with nasopharyngeal cancer can live normal lives. Cure is more likely if the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
Source: American Academy of Family Physicians
Hormone therapy comes with clear risks but remains the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats, according to a new medical guide.
Women who try estrogen should use the lowest possible dose for the shortest period of time, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stressed.
About 10 percent of women will suffer these menopausal symptoms for longer than the average four years - and if hormone therapy offers them relief, it shouldn't be withdrawn, the new recommendations conclude.
ACOG issued the new guide Thursday because of continuing confusion stemming from a major 2002 study that found hormones not only didn't keep postmenopausal women generally healthy - once a top reason for using them - but they could spur heart attacks, strokes and other illnesses.
Millions have since quit hormone therapy. Those who get no menopause relief from alternative treatments often have a hard time persuading a doctor to provide estrogen, said Dr. Nanette Santoro of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who co-authored the ACOG guide.
``There was such a fear of hormones that they began to be viewed as poison,'' Santoro said. ``Yet for some women, nothing works better.''
So ACOG examined the 2002 research and a string of additional hormone studies performed since. Among the findings:
- Antidepressants known as SSRIs, such as Prozac, also can relieve hot flashes even in women who aren't depressed, offering a potential alternative before resorting to hormones.
- Herbal remedies such as black cohosh, wild yams or soy don't seem to work. Women with mild symptoms might get a short-term placebo effect, but in strict scientific studies, the herbs perform no better than dummy pills, Santoro explained.
- Contrary to popular myth, there's little evidence that estrogen or the male hormone testosterone improves a woman's sex drive. However, estrogen given orally or topically can improve the quality of postmenopausal sexual activity by relieving vaginal dryness that can make intercourse uncomfortable.
- Estrogen remains the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats, and taking it either orally, through a skin patch or vaginally seems to work. It doesn't alleviate everyone's symptoms; a four-week trial may be necessary.
- Estrogen alone - an option only for women who've had a hysterectomy - increases the risk of strokes, blood clots and possibly dementia. Combination hormone therapy - estrogen plus progestin - raises the risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and breast cancer.
Some women have additional risk factors for those conditions that hormones could exacerbate, such as high blood pressure or cancer in the family. And while many doctors consider long-term use the biggest problem, the risk of blood clots or clot-caused heart attacks actually starts rising immediately.
The decision to take hormones requires a case-by-case judgment of how bad the woman's hot flashes are with her individual risk of side effects, the guide says. Hormone users should review that decision annually with their doctors - they may have become more prone to side effects, or the symptoms may have eased enough for them to quit.
That's similar to advice from the Food and Drug Administration and other medical authorities. But the gynecologist group goes a step further to stress that ``it is inappropriate'' to withhold hormones from appropriate candidates.
The doctors' guide was published Thursday in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. Starting Monday, women can check http://www.acog.org for a consumer version.
On the Net:
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: http://www.acog.org - AP
Women who try estrogen should use the lowest possible dose for the shortest period of time, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stressed.
About 10 percent of women will suffer these menopausal symptoms for longer than the average four years - and if hormone therapy offers them relief, it shouldn't be withdrawn, the new recommendations conclude.
ACOG issued the new guide Thursday because of continuing confusion stemming from a major 2002 study that found hormones not only didn't keep postmenopausal women generally healthy - once a top reason for using them - but they could spur heart attacks, strokes and other illnesses.
Millions have since quit hormone therapy. Those who get no menopause relief from alternative treatments often have a hard time persuading a doctor to provide estrogen, said Dr. Nanette Santoro of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who co-authored the ACOG guide.
``There was such a fear of hormones that they began to be viewed as poison,'' Santoro said. ``Yet for some women, nothing works better.''
So ACOG examined the 2002 research and a string of additional hormone studies performed since. Among the findings:
- Antidepressants known as SSRIs, such as Prozac, also can relieve hot flashes even in women who aren't depressed, offering a potential alternative before resorting to hormones.
- Herbal remedies such as black cohosh, wild yams or soy don't seem to work. Women with mild symptoms might get a short-term placebo effect, but in strict scientific studies, the herbs perform no better than dummy pills, Santoro explained.
- Contrary to popular myth, there's little evidence that estrogen or the male hormone testosterone improves a woman's sex drive. However, estrogen given orally or topically can improve the quality of postmenopausal sexual activity by relieving vaginal dryness that can make intercourse uncomfortable.
- Estrogen remains the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats, and taking it either orally, through a skin patch or vaginally seems to work. It doesn't alleviate everyone's symptoms; a four-week trial may be necessary.
- Estrogen alone - an option only for women who've had a hysterectomy - increases the risk of strokes, blood clots and possibly dementia. Combination hormone therapy - estrogen plus progestin - raises the risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and breast cancer.
Some women have additional risk factors for those conditions that hormones could exacerbate, such as high blood pressure or cancer in the family. And while many doctors consider long-term use the biggest problem, the risk of blood clots or clot-caused heart attacks actually starts rising immediately.
The decision to take hormones requires a case-by-case judgment of how bad the woman's hot flashes are with her individual risk of side effects, the guide says. Hormone users should review that decision annually with their doctors - they may have become more prone to side effects, or the symptoms may have eased enough for them to quit.
That's similar to advice from the Food and Drug Administration and other medical authorities. But the gynecologist group goes a step further to stress that ``it is inappropriate'' to withhold hormones from appropriate candidates.
The doctors' guide was published Thursday in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. Starting Monday, women can check http://www.acog.org for a consumer version.
On the Net:
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: http://www.acog.org - AP
A study of more than 117,000 Danish women provides the most convincing evidence yet of a link between a girl's growth rate and her risk of developing breast cancer later in life, researchers said on Wednesday.
The study, published in Thursday's edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, found that women who were tall and thin by the age of 14 and those who weighed a lot at birth were more likely to develop breast cancer.
Researchers in Copenhagen looked at height and weight measurements taken from 117,415 girls born between 1930 and 1975, which they obtained from school health records.
The Danish team found that high birth weight, rapid growth around the time of mammary gland development, being tall and having low body-mass-index during adolescence were independent risk factors for breast cancer.
Specifically, they determined that girls who were about 5-feet 6-inches tall (167.5 cm) by age 14 were 50 percent more likely to develop breast cancer later in life than girls who were just under five feet (152 cm) tall at the same age.
The team also found that newborn girls who weighed more than 8-3/4 pounds (4 kg) were on average 17 percent more likely to develop the disease later in life than those who weighed about 5-1/2 pounds (2.5 kg).
In an editorial in the Journal, Karin Michels and Walter Willett of Harvard University said the study reinforces growing evidence that breast cancer may have its origins early in life.
``An association between the risk of breast cancer and the rate of growth during adolescence has been suggested previously, but these new data are the most convincing,'' the pair wrote, citing the considerable size and the unbiased source of the data used in the study.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
Nearly 216,000 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2004, and about 40,110 women will die from the disease this year. - Reuters
The study, published in Thursday's edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, found that women who were tall and thin by the age of 14 and those who weighed a lot at birth were more likely to develop breast cancer.
Researchers in Copenhagen looked at height and weight measurements taken from 117,415 girls born between 1930 and 1975, which they obtained from school health records.
The Danish team found that high birth weight, rapid growth around the time of mammary gland development, being tall and having low body-mass-index during adolescence were independent risk factors for breast cancer.
Specifically, they determined that girls who were about 5-feet 6-inches tall (167.5 cm) by age 14 were 50 percent more likely to develop breast cancer later in life than girls who were just under five feet (152 cm) tall at the same age.
The team also found that newborn girls who weighed more than 8-3/4 pounds (4 kg) were on average 17 percent more likely to develop the disease later in life than those who weighed about 5-1/2 pounds (2.5 kg).
In an editorial in the Journal, Karin Michels and Walter Willett of Harvard University said the study reinforces growing evidence that breast cancer may have its origins early in life.
``An association between the risk of breast cancer and the rate of growth during adolescence has been suggested previously, but these new data are the most convincing,'' the pair wrote, citing the considerable size and the unbiased source of the data used in the study.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
Nearly 216,000 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2004, and about 40,110 women will die from the disease this year. - Reuters
