Male Breast Cancer - The Risk Factors

by unknown | 9:04 PM in |

By: Michael Russell

Most people do not expect a man to be diagnosed with breast cancer. But about one percent of all breast cancer patients are male. In 2007, 450 men and 40,460 women from the United States will die from breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be 2,030 new cases of male breast cancer in the United States in 2007. The survival rates among men and women with breast cancer are the same. Several risk factors that increase the chances of developing male breast cancer will be discussed. But just because a man has several risk factors does not necessarily mean that he will get this disease. Some men with no risk factors have been diagnosed.

Both men and women are more likely to develop breast cancer as they get older. For men, the average age they are diagnosed with breast cancer is between the ages of 60 and 70 years old. Men are more likely to develop breast cancer if they are exposed for long periods of time to high temperatures, electromagnetic fields, or ionizing radiation. This is especially true of men who have had to undergo radiation therapy to treat a cancer in the chest area such as Hodgkin's lymphoma.

A man that belongs to a family with women that have been diagnosed with breast cancer has an increased chance of getting this disease. About 1 in 5 men diagnosed with breast cancer have had female relatives who have also been diagnosed with this disease.

Breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2) is a gene on chromosome 13 that normally functions to repair damage to DNA. However, some men have genetic mutations of the breast cancer-associated BRCA2 gene and are more likely to get breast cancer because of it. About 15% of the men diagnosed with breast cancer are due to the mutation of the BRCA2 gene. Mutations in this gene can also lead to ovarian and prostate cancers.


A high estrogen level can increase the growth of cancerous breast tumors, which can lead to breast cancer.
This doesn't affect most men since men normally produce low levels of estrogen. However, high estrogen levels can occur in men if they suffer from obesity, Klinefelter's syndrome, or cirrhosis of the liver.

Obesity can lead to an increase in the number of fat cells. These fat cells will convert male hormones (androgens) into female hormones (estrogens).

Normally men have a X (female) and a Y (male) chromosome. A man with Klinefelter's Syndrome will have an extra X chromosome. Klinefelter’s Syndrome is a rare inherited condition that affects only 1 in 1000 men. This condition raises the estrogen level of men and causes them to develop bigger breasts, thinner facial and body hair, and smaller than normal testicles. These men are 50 times more likely to get breast cancer than normal men.

Alcohol abuse and viral hepatitis can cause the liver to have an excess supply of toxic substances, which can cause cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is a chronic liver condition that raises estrogen levels. This will raise the chances of getting breast cancer. Men in Middle Eastern and African countries have a greater chance of developing breast cancer than men in the United States because liver disease is more common there.

Article Source: Breast Cancer Guide

by unknown | 9:39 PM in |

Hair Dye and it's risk

Risk of bladder cancer

Up to now, some research has indicated that using hair dye may lead to increased risk of bladder cancer, while other research has suggested it doesn’t. Some of the research has considered different types of dyes and others haven't. Some studies have probably been too small to show up any small increase in risk. In the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) May 2005, there was a large meta analysis published that looked into all the research on hair dyes causing cancer. A meta analysis is research that pulls together all previous study results. This has found that there is unlikely to be any link between hair dye use and bladder cancer.

Risk of multiple myeloma, leukaemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

There is no definite evidence of a link between the use of any type of hair dye and non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), leukaemia or myeloma. Some studies have shown a slight possible increase in risk and other studies have found no link. The meta analysis of all these studies, published in the JAMA in May 2005, found that there may be a small link between hair dye use and myeloma, lymphoma or some types of lymphoblastic leukaemia. But the results of this paper show that if there is any increase in risk, it must be extremely small.

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2004, focusing only on non Hodgkin's lymphoma, suggests that long term use of dark hair dye may slightly increase your risk of developing non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But the researchers say these findings don’t prove that colouring your hair causes cancer. The study points out that there could be an increase in risk for people who used hair dyes before 1980. A lot of hair dyes made before 1980 contained chemicals that were known to cause cancer in mice. Since 1980, hair dyes have changed dramatically and many no longer contain these cancer causing chemicals (carcinogens).

There is information about the risks and causes of myeloma and risks and causes of non Hodgkin's lymphoma on CancerHelp UK.

There is information on reducing your risk of cancer in the worried about cancer section of CancerHelp UK. It is far more likely that concentrating on your diet, smoking, drinking and exercise habits will reduce your risk of cancer more effectively than changing your use of cosmetics.

Learning About Cervical Cancer

by unknown | 12:51 PM in |

by: Ingrid Tiessen

Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women worldwide. It is also one of the most preventable types of cancer.

Cervical cell changes are often caused by a sexually transmitted virus called the human papilloma virus or ‘HPV’. Most HPV infections will clear on their own once the immune system has dealt with it,and not lead to cervical cancer. Often, a woman infected with HPV will never know that she has been infected.

When a woman goes for her annual Pap test, the changes in the cervix are detected. A doctor is not usually alarmed by slight changes, as this can be caused by irritation or inflammation of the cervix, and will recommend retesting in 6 months. If, however, the changes do not revert back to normal, further testing is required to deal with possible precancerous tissue.

As long as regular testing is done, precancerous cells can be removed usually with no long term problems for the patient. Thankfully, truly invasive cervical cancer takes years to develop, but it is best to have it treated as soon as possible for peace of mind, and to avoid complications down the road. Call your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms, as they may be a symptom of cervical changes or cancer:

• Vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse
• Pelvic pain
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Abnormal bleeding between menstrual periods
• Heavy bleeding during your menstrual period
• Increased urinary frequency

About The Author

Ingrid Tiessen writes about health and lifestyle issues, and has undergone treatment for cervical dysplasia.

Is The Prostate Cancer Biopsy An Effective Diagnostic Tool?

by unknown | 12:21 PM in |

By: Donald Saunders

Though there are various different tests which can be carried out when you suspect the possible presence of prostate cancer, the only certain way to diagnose the disease is the prostate biopsy. But precisely how successful is the biopsy when it comes to diagnosing this disease?

In the United States alone annually there are about one million prostate biopsy procedures carried out of which around 25 percent indicate the existence of cancer. Of the remaining 75 percent of biopsies however roughly 33 percent indicate false negative results. This means that about a quarter of those men undergoing a prostate biopsy are cleared by their biopsy, despite the fact that they actually have prostate cancer.

At first sight therefore it could seem that the biopsy is not a very good test but these results do not mean that there is anything wrong with the prostate biopsy procedure as a tool for diagnosing the presence of cancer. What it does mean however is the need to detect those patients who, in spite of they have returned a negative result, are nonetheless at considerable risk from cancer and ought therefore to undergo a second follow-up biopsy.

The problem is that until very recently there has not been an easy method of determining patients at risk. Fortunately, a recent study of more than five hundred men being investigated for the possible presence of prostate cancer might now provide an answer.

All of the men investigated in the study had already had a negative biopsy result but researchers discovered that when they studied the patient's prostate specific antigen (PSA) test results and these were adjusted to take account of the size of the prostate gland they could identify those patients who were more likely to produce positive results on a follow-up biopsy.

Additionally, the researchers found that patients who had a Gleeson score of 7 or above were at greater risk from life-threatening cancer and were once again more likely to record a positive result on a second biopsy. The Gleeson score runs on a scale between 2 and 10 and the score is derived from a microscopic investigation of biopsy tissue. Low scores show a cancer with a relatively small risk of spread while high scores show a cancer which is much more likely to spread.

There are various different biopsy procedures in use now but perhaps the most frequently performed procedure is known as the core needle biopsy. Here a number of very small tissue samples are removed from different areas of the prostrate gland using a biopsy gun which shoots a needle into the selected area and removes the sample within a fraction of a second. These samples are then sent off for laboratory analysis to ascertain whether or not cancer is present and, if so, to determine precisely how much of the prostate gland is affected.

The prostate biopsy is a costly procedure and is a test which can be quite nerve-racking for the patient. It can also be a fairly painful test which can be accompanied by bleeding and a risk of infection. For these reasons it is in everyone's interest to identify those men for whom a follow-up biopsy would be advisable and to reduce as far as possible the number of needless follow-up biopsies being carried out each year.

ProstateProblemCenter.com provides information on everything from sex after prostate biopsy to the therapeutic use of prostate massage

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

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